Miss Lori turned her head and gazed at Nevada with trusting brown eyes. The exchange with the animal touched her in a way she would never have expected, and she suddenly understood the deep connection Linc felt to his horses. They were truly his family and he felt safe with them because they loved him unconditionally. They would never purposely hurt him.
“She likes you.”
Linc’s words were murmured gently next to Nevada’s ear and she realized she’d been so involved with the mare, she hadn’t heard him walk up behind her.
“I’m glad. What would she do if I stroked her on the face? Do horses like that?”
Her question caused his lips to tilt with amusement. “Of course they like it. Don’t you?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Depends on who’s doing the stroking.”
A sensual glint sparked his eyes as he reached for her hand and placed it on the mare’s nose.
“Picky about that, are you?”
Nevada sucked in an edgy breath as the front of his body brushed against the back of hers. “Much pickier than you think,” she muttered.
He didn’t say anything to that, and she glanced over her shoulder to see that his expression had sobered. After his playful warmth of this afternoon the sight chilled her.
“I need to talk to Skinny about a few things,” he said. “I’ll be ready to go in just a minute or two.”
Nodding, she turned her gaze back to the mare and told herself to quit acting like a foolish teenage girl. It was crazy for her to allow her feelings to get all tangled up with Linc Ketchum’s moods. From the way Dr. Olstead had talked this afternoon, Linc would probably be free of his bandages in another week. After that he would allow him to do light work. At least, he could use his hands enough to see to his own needs. That meant Nevada’s job would be finished. And the best thing she could do right now was get ready for the exit.
On the short drive up the mountain to the house, Linc was quiet and Nevada didn’t try to engage him in small talk. She wasn’t exactly in a talking mood herself. She was feeling a bit defeated and even more angry with herself.
For the past ten of her twenty-five years, she’d pretty much taken care of herself. She had not relied on anyone for financial or emotional support. She had gritted through the poverty and loneliness, and the insecurities of being without a dependable family. She’d finally carved out a niche for herself. She had a good job that she loved. And though she was far from rich, she was secure. She didn’t need a man mixed permanently into her life. Not Linc. Not any man.
Later that night, long after they’d eaten dinner and she’d cleared away the dishes, the telephone rang.
Answering it, she found Victoria’s husband, Jess, the under-sheriff of San Juan County, on the other end.
“Has Linc already gone to bed?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. Let me go find him,” she said and put down the phone to hurry through the house.
She found him on the front porch, reading a book beneath the dim glow of a coal-oil lamp. Early in the week, she’d caught him doing the same thing and had asked him why he didn’t go inside to read by the light of a proper lamp. He’d told her he felt best when he was outside and that the pioneers who’d settled the nation before them had read just fine by coal-oil lamps.
Nevada hadn’t argued with him then and she didn’t stop to now as he put down his book and looked up at her.
“You have a telephone call. It’s Jess.”
Rising from his chair, he blew out the lamp and headed toward the door. “Thanks,” he called over his shoulder.
Nevada followed him back into the house but rather than return to the kitchen and intrude on his phone call, she went to her room and began to prepare for bed. She brushed her teeth and cleaned her face and was sitting on the dressing bench brushing her hair when she heard a knock at her door. Turning around, she saw Linc standing in the open doorway. A stricken look was on his face and her heart plummeted.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” she questioned.
He stepped into the room and took a seat on the foot of her bed, something he’d never done before. He was obviously disturbed.
“Jess called to tell me that he’d just gotten out of a meeting with Sheriff Perez and the fire marshal.” His dark gaze caught hers. “The fire at the barn has been ruled to have been arson.”
Stunned at the idea that anyone could do such a horrific thing, Nevada could only stare at him. “Arson? I can’t believe it. Are they certain?”
He nodded and there was a sick, almost fatalistic look on his face. “Yes. They’re sure. The fire marshal says there were two ignition sites, one at each end of the building, and some sort of chemical was used as an accelerator.”
“I just can’t believe it,” Nevada said again in a dazed voice. “Who would do such a thing? You could have been killed! You nearly were!”
Ignoring the implications to his own safety, he said in stunned disbelief, “The horses. How could anyone deliberately set out to kill a barn full of innocent animals? I—”
He stopped and shook his head in dismay. Nevada could see he was clearly shaken by the news Jess had given him.
Feeling the strong urge to console him, Nevada left the dressing table and took a seat next to him on the edge of the mattress.
“I’m so sorry, Linc. So terribly sorry. Your family has already been through so much with the Rider murder and then Jess nearly being fatally shot. I can’t believe that someone else is out to hurt you Ketchums.”
“More like out to hurt me. It wasn’t unusual for me to stay all night in that barn. Before it was destroyed, that’s where I kept most of the pregnant mares and our prize stallion. It was just by the grace of God that there weren’t any newborn colts in the barn that night.” With a weary groan he lifted one hand and raked it over his face. “Jess is sending out deputies to guard the other buildings in the ranch yard until Ross can come up with some security guards of his own. Hell, what is that going to say to all the people who come here to buy cattle and horses? They’ll all be too scared to set a foot on the place!”
Nevada had never seen a raging fire up close, but she could easily imagine the horror of one. The idea that someone had purposely set out to hurt or kill Linc made her shudder.
Reaching over, she placed her hand on his knee. “Linc, try not to think about it,” she urged. “Just let Sheriff Perez take care of things. He’ll find the person behind all this.”
He sucked in a long, shaky breath and then released it in one weary whoosh. “I hope he does. Because if I find him first, I’m going to put these hands around his neck and choke the hell right out of him.”
The threat in his voice was cool and deliberate and Nevada had no doubt that he meant what he said.
Suddenly she was very scared for his safety and she clutched his upper arm with both hands.
“Linc, please, don’t do anything foolish. You’ve already been seriously hurt. I—I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”
Slowly, the dark revenge in his eyes began to fade away and he looked at her with a bit of wonder.
“If I didn’t know better,” he said softly, “I’d think you really meant that.”
Without any warning, Nevada’s heart started swelling with emotions and her brown eyes grew misty as she looked up at him. “I do mean it, Linc. I mean it very much.”
The room had been quiet before, but now there didn’t seem to be any sound at all as the seconds slid by and his gaze slowly searched her face. Finally his attention focused on her lips and caused heat to surge through her body with lightning speed. Desire boiled up inside her and she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into him and tilting her face up to his.
“Nevada. Nevada.”
Her name was all he said before he bent his head and placed his lips over hers.
He kissed her sweetly, gently, then pulled back to look at her once more.
Nevada could feel the naked longing on her face and knew
that he could see it, too, but her desire for him had grown far too strong to hide.
“Make love to me, Linc.”
His bandaged hands rested gently on her shoulders. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Her gaze didn’t waver on his. “I know exactly what I’m saying.”
In the back of Linc’s mind, he understood that to reach for Nevada would be as dangerous as reaching for a stick of dynamite. But these past days he’d spent being near her and desperately wanting her had taken a toll on him. He was weak from the constant exertion of trying to resist her.
And why should he keep fighting? he asked himself. The two of them were consenting adults. What happened between them tonight would have no bearing on tomorrow. And maybe, just maybe, having her in his bed would put an end to this maddening ache in his loins.
Without another thought, he pulled her toward him and she fell willingly into his arms.
Over and over Linc kissed her until her arms wound tightly around his neck and she tugged them both down on the mattress.
Lying face to face, he pulled his head back far enough so that his gaze could delve into hers. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. But are you sure you want me?” he asked.
With a sensual groan, she lifted a hand to his face and gently stroked his cheek. “I want you, Linc. More than anything,” she told him as the truth of those words shattered the resistance she’d desperately been trying to hold on to.
“Little one. My sweet,” he murmured.
His soft words of affection caused joy to pour into her heart and she closed her eyes in blissful anticipation as he brought his lips over hers once again.
His searching mouth quickly sent her senses scattering in all directions and before she realized what she was doing, her fingers were loosening the buttons on his shirt, her palms were spreading flat against his hair-roughened chest.
Groaning with pleasure, he deserted her lips to press a moist, tingly trail down the side of her throat.
“Damn it,” he murmured with agony. “I can’t undress you. My hands can’t feel your skin. And I want to feel you, Nevada. So badly.”
His urgent words were like an instant aphrodisiac and all she wanted was to please him, to give him anything and everything he wanted. She’d never felt anything close to this before and the reality of what was happening made her whole body hum with love.
And it was love, she told herself. She didn’t just want Linc’s body. She wanted his heart, his soul to bind with hers. She wanted the two of them to be together like this forever.
“I’ll be your hands. Just lean back and let me undress you,” she whispered fervently. “Let me make love to you.”
He did as she asked, and as Nevada began to remove his boots and then his clothing, she noticed he was watching her through green eyes that were simmering with a fire of their own.
With her gaze fastened firmly on his face, she finally removed his jeans. He was wearing boxer shorts beneath the jeans and she deliberately left them where they were. Even so, she could tell he was already firmly aroused and the sight of his desire left her whole body glowing with heat and her cheeks blooming with color.
“Are you blushing?” he asked teasingly as he watched her fumble with the buttons on her own blouse.
Nevada quickly turned her back to him. “No. It’s the dim light in here. In fact, I think we should turn off the lamp.”
She started to skirt the bed so that she could reach the small lamp sitting on a table near the headboard. But before she could take more than two steps, Linc caught her by the arm.
“Forget the lamp,” he murmured huskily. “I want to see you. I’ve been wanting to see you for days now.”
Nevada had never been naked in front of any man before, and normally the mere thought of being in such a vulnerable position was enough to embarrass her. But Linc’s eager request made her feel beautiful and wanted and she wanted to give back to him.
The blue shirt she’d been wearing finally hit the floor and soon her jeans followed. Beneath she was wearing a pale yellow panty and bra set that was made of lace and satin triangles that did little more than cover her nipples and the patch of black hair growing at the apex of her thighs. The soft color glowed like liquid gold against her brown skin and Linc groaned with pleasure as she lay down next to him.
“The rest should be easy enough for you to get off,” she whispered against his cheek.
With a low chuckle, he gently rolled her onto her back. “I might just have to chew these things off.”
For the next few minutes that was exactly what Nevada thought he was going to do as his mouth explored every crevice, every hill and valley of her body.
Finally, he raised his head and muttered thickly, “Oh honey. Honey. I’ve got to make you mine. All mine.”
Awkwardly, his bandaged fingers pulled at her lingerie, and though she could have helped him remove the pieces of clothing, she understood he needed to do this much of the chore himself.
Once the satin and lace were finally out of the way, he started to position himself over her, but Nevada quickly put a hand against his chest and guided him back to the mattress.
“You can’t put pressure on your hands,” she gently reminded him. “You’ll damage all the healing.”
“But—”
He didn’t finish the question. He didn’t have to as Nevada straddled his waist and flipped her long black hair over her shoulders.
“You little siren,” he murmured thickly. “I should have known.”
His hands came up to cup her small breasts and though his bandages came between their skins, his touch still excited her beyond anything she could have imagined.
With a groan deep in her throat, she lowered one shoulder so that his mouth could reach her breast. The simple invitation was enough to tell him what she needed and he gladly complied by gently biting down on the chocolate-brown nipple.
“Oooh. Oh Linc. I didn’t—know it would be— like this.”
Easing back from her slightly, he could see her head was thrown back, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was as taut as a violin string just waiting to be plucked and stroked.
“Sure you did, baby. Come here,” he crooned. “Come here and let me love you.”
With a little help, he pushed his boxer shorts down over his feet and then, placing his hands on both sides of her shapely hips, he guided her up and over his rigid manhood.
The intimate folds of her body were hot and moist and the pleasure of entering her turned Linc’s blood to liquid fire. Every nerve, every particle of his body screamed at him to hurry, hurry. But he’d never believed this moment would happen and he wanted it to last. He wanted to watch her face as he slowly filled her body.
Sweat gathered on his face and she began to say his name over and over in a thick, choked voice like a pleading mantra begging him to end her agony.
Finally with a downward tug on her hips, Linc gave one final thrust and her delicious body closed around him like a tight, loving hand.
Nevada bit down hard on her bottom lip, but she couldn’t prevent the loud sob from escaping into the quiet bedroom. Yet it wasn’t the sound that suddenly paralyzed Linc. It was the thin barrier he’d encountered at the very last moment as he’d joined their bodies.
She was a virgin! A virgin!
“Nevada! What—why didn’t you tell me?” he groaned.
He started to push her off him, but she wouldn’t budge. Instead, she leaned down and cupped her hands against the sides of his face. “Because it doesn’t matter.”
Chapter Eleven
“Like hell, I—”
“This is what I want,” she interrupted. “And you don’t want to stop now, do you?”
He should stop, Linc thought. He should slide away from her this very minute, leave the bedroom and never look back. But his body absolutely refused to listen to any part of that suggestion. Especially when her hips began a slow thrust that turned him inside out.
/> “You know I don’t,” he muttered gruffly and then with a groan of surrender, he began to match his movements to hers.
In all of his adult life Linc had never felt such intense pleasure, and though he realized he needed to go slowly to initiate her to their intimate coupling, he couldn’t hold back his hunger. Nor could he hide it from her.
Tugging her head down, he feasted on her lips as his hands cupped her rounded bottom and urged her to an even faster pace.
Her breathing became rapid and so did his. Her long hair swung forward and cocooned them inside a curtain of black satin.
Eventually, Nevada’s arms got tired and she fell over Linc with an exhausted thump.
“I’m sorry, Linc. My arms—” she said between pants for air.
“Sssh,” he whispered as he rolled her onto her back. “Let me finish this.”
“Your hands—”
“My hands are the last thing you need to be thinking about,” he told her. Then, straddling her body, he lowered himself over her and rested his weight on his elbows. “See how good this is.”
Nevada wanted to answer, but she couldn’t. His movements were taking her breath away, sending her to a place she’d never been before.
Bright, beautiful stars began to parade behind the back of her closed eyes. Suddenly she felt herself floating upward toward the stars in that velvety sky, until something deep inside her exploded like a meteor shower.
At the same time the thrust of Linc’s hips grew frenzied, and with a great groan, he clutched her desperately to him and spilled the warm seeds of his manhood.
It was some time before Nevada was capable of speaking a word. By then Linc had rolled his weight to her side and was studying her with dark, drowsy eyes.
Turning onto her side, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss upon his lips. She had never tasted anything so good in her life, and she wanted to keep on kissing him, but she could see that he wanted to say something so she pulled back and waited.
Taming a Dark Horse Page 13
