Hell for Leather

by Beth Williamson

  Sabrina couldn’t have been more surprised or embarrassed by how he’d been treated by Eustace’s townspeople. “I’m so sorry, Cade.” She reached out and touched his knee, not realizing until too late that she shouldn’t have done it.

  A spark of something hot jumped between them. It traveled up her arm, then spread through her whole body. She’d only touched him once before and now she knew she shouldn’t have ever touched him. She sucked in a gasp, which was echoed by Cade.

  Sabrina opened her mouth but nothing came out, and for some reason, she couldn’t pull her hand away. It seemed to be content to rest on his muscular, warm leg. Sweet heavens, he was even wearing the trousers she’d sold him.

  The air between them grew heavy, and Sabrina’s blood flew around her body as she heated between her legs. Cade was a handsome man, a sexy man. Although she’d seen many good-looking men, something about him struck a chord within Sabrina. It resonated strongly as pure need slammed into her.

  “What’s happening?” she whispered.

  Cade’s dark eyes looked even darker as his pupils dilated and his nostrils flared as if scenting Sabrina. “I don’t know.”

  “Come into the store.”

  He shook his head even as he dismounted and secured the horse to the hitching post in front of the building. Sabrina trembled with the need to kiss him, touch him, absorb him. She hoped Ellen had taken herself upstairs for at least an hour, because Sabrina didn’t think she’d be able to stop once she got started.

  As soon as they stepped inside, Sabrina kept walking, leaving him to close and lock the door. At that point, she was possessed by hunger and only Cade could satisfy the craving.

  Sabrina walked behind the curtain that hid her office. It was a small room, but it held a potbelly stove, a desk and chair. She didn’t bother to light the lamp, the darkness felt soothing to her sizzling skin. One time, she and Eric—

  She cut the thought off before it could completely invade her mind. This was not the time to think about anything, it was only time to feel.

  Within seconds, Cade was there in the shadowy office behind her. His long, lean body pressed against her, and her entire body sighed with relief.

  “What are we doing?”

  Sabrina whipped around, and instead of answering his whispered question, she pulled his head down and kissed him. Oh Lord, his lips were as hard as she expected them to be. She used every meager trick she had to soften them until finally he relented and his arms wrapped around her. Sweet, long, openmouthed kisses followed. Sabrina could’ve kissed him for days on end. He had the most intoxicating, sensual lips she’d ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

  His hands were busy roaming up and down her body, leaving goose bumps in their wake. He pulled her closer to him until she cradled his erection against her soft belly. Tingles spread out from the contact, heightening her already-burning arousal.

  Sabrina clenched her eyes shut as the sensations almost overwhelmed her. It had been so long since she’d been intimate with a man, and this one engendered more feelings than she ever thought possible. Eric had been gentle, sweet and undemanding in their marriage bed.

  Nothing prepared her for the onslaught of sensations when she was in Cade’s strong arms. She immersed herself in the absolute pleasure with more abandon than she’d known she had. Her nipples grew hard enough to ache for his touch, but since she still had her clothes on, she had to settle for pressing them against his chest.

  Their kisses grew longer, hotter, deeper until Sabrina had trouble remembering her name. She needed more than just their mouths touching though, much more.

  Cool air hit her legs as he raised her skirt, his large hands cupping her behind. Her heart raced with anticipation of what she was about to do. She’d never been so impulsive, so naughty in her life.

  It felt good.

  When Cade’s finger found the slit in her drawers, she bit her lip to keep the scream in her throat. Sweet heavens, he slid back and forth in her wetness, teasing and tantalizing her swollen nub until she thought she’d bite right through her lip. He must have been unbuttoning his trousers as he pleasured her because the next thing she knew, his cock nudged at her entrance.

  Five long years she’d been without a man, except in her dreams of course, and here she was about to have sex with a virtual stranger. Sabrina spread her legs a bit wider, never so ready for more.

  As he pushed inside her, tingles raced through her. His cock stretched her long-unused channel, inciting a mixture of gratification and discomfort until all that was left was bliss. Oh how she’d dreamed of being with him, but the reality was much better than the fantasy.

  “You’re so fucking tight.” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Am I hurting you?” His voice sounded strained to the point of breaking, exactly how Sabrina felt waiting for him to move.

  “No, please, I need…” She could hardly form a coherent thought as her body screamed for his.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He pulled almost all the way out then slid back in, slow enough to send her to the brink of madness before withdrawing again. Sure, measured strokes left her panting, literally, for more. Her fingernails scrabbled at the desk for purchase so she could thrust back against him. She finally got hold of the side and top of the desk and met his stroke with one of her own.

  “Faster,” Sabrina managed to growl.

  Cade, it seemed, didn’t need to be told twice. She’d unleashed a beast and hung on for the ride of her life. He held her hips as he pumped in and out, faster, harder than she’d imagined. Delicious heat flowed between them as her body took everything he gave.

  A crescendo built inside her, spiraling up along with her moans. She tried to be quiet, but couldn’t stop herself. It had been so long since she’d felt pleasure, much less ecstasy, that she reacted like a woman freed from confinement—with abandon.

  “Ah, God, Sabrina.” His fingers dug into her skin through her drawers. “I can’t hold on much longer.”

  The sound of harsh breathing filled the little room along with the heady scent of sex. She reveled in both, even as her body reached its peak, bucking against the desk as he plunged in deep, a low growl vibrating in his throat.

  Sabrina felt like an animal with her mate, a bitch in heat who needed a good fuck, and oh, what a good one it was. As the waves of bliss faded from her body, he withdrew and pressed a cloth to her throbbing pussy.

  “Take this.” Cade stepped back after she took the cloth from him.

  It took a few moments for her to catch her breath and be able to stand. He stared at her, a mere three feet away, his nostrils flaring as the scent of their mating permeated the air.

  “I ain’t gonna say I’m sorry.”

  “Good because I’d slap you if you did.” She laid the cloth sideways in her drawers to keep it in place then fixed her skirt. God, her body still thrummed with an arousal not quite quenched by what they’d just done. Sabrina had a feeling she’d had only a taste of heaven and would need much more to be satisfied.

  “I should go.” He made no move to leave.

  “Kiss me goodbye then.”

  Cade descended on her, snatching her up in his arms for a deep, penetrating kiss that shook her to her bones. His tongue swept through her mouth, dueling with hers in a dance she was coming to crave. He finally released her lips with an audible pop and stepped back, looking as shaken as she was.

  Without another word, he tipped his hat and disappeared through the curtain.

  Sabrina pressed her hand to her mouth and took a shaky breath. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she did know it wouldn’t be the last time.

  Chapter Five

  Cade stumbled out of the store and took a moment to gather his fractured thoughts. Sabrina had surprised the hell out of him, and he had surprised himself. He certainly hadn’t intended on having sex on her desk in the back office at the store. But damn if the experience didn’t leave him as weak as a newborn baby.

  His
knees shook as he went down the steps toward his horse. The gelding bumped him with his great head as Cade reached for the reins. If he hadn’t caught the hitching post, the cold ground would’ve likely broken his fall.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, horse?” Cade grumbled as he regained his balance.

  The horse responded by baring his teeth.

  “Your caballo giving you trouble, amigo?” Antonio stepped up beside him, a big grin on his olive-toned face.

  “More like a diablo than caballo.” Cade glared at the offending equine.

  “I heard about what happened at the mill.” Antonio leaned against the front porch beam. “Hiram never could control his temper, part of the reason Elisabeth refused to marry him when she got pregnant with Jeremiah.”

  Cade’s confusion blew away on the wind at the mention of the mill incident. “Well, I hope I never run into him again, temper or not.” He’d tried to stay out of Eustace’s business, but the town kept sucking him back in. “Who’s Elisabeth?”

  Dammit, he hadn’t meant to ask but the question just popped out.

  “My sister.”

  Surprise slammed into Cade. “Jeremiah is your nephew?”

  “Sí, he is my nephew. My mother didn’t want him to work at the saloon so she let him work for Sam instead.” He shrugged. “Many folks in town look down on a bastard child, but Sam never treated him as anything other than a boy.”

  “So you think he’s big enough to be driving a wagon around delivering wood?” Cade didn’t want to admit what he’d been doing at the age of fourteen. His childhood was nothing less than a nightmare. With Antonio as an uncle and the rest of Eustace looking after him, Jeremiah couldn’t possibly have been in the same position.

  “His heart is big enough and he’s a smart boy, knows his limits.” Antonio gestured to Clara’s small yellow house. “I just left him with Clara, and I wanted to catch you before you left to say thank you. She says he went into shock and if you hadn’t brought him into town, he might’ve been in real trouble.”

  Antonio held out his hand and Cade shook it, a silly tremble of emotion making his voice vanish.

  “Let me feed you a hot meal at least. I’ve got to move Mamá downstairs this afternoon so the saloon is closed until after she’s settled. We can have tamales with my special blend of peppers, garlic, onion and brown sugar.” Antonio’s dark eyes appeared earnest and grateful.

  Cade couldn’t say no, even though he knew he should get the hell out of Eustace as fast as possible. Instead, he found himself nodding.

  “Be glad to join you for dinner, and I’ll help you with your Mamá too.” He led his horse away from the store, away from the hot, incredible woman who’d just turned his world sideways with her passion and her heart.

  Cade felt somewhat numb, as if he’d escaped from being himself. Too much emotion, physical happenings and intense up-close time with people was what threw him the most off-balance. He’d spent so much time amongst people but not with them, it was draining to remember the right thing to do or say. In his case, he was also usually recovering from doing or saying the wrong thing.

  After they arrived at the saloon, Antonio showed him where to put his horse in the corral out back. The bay happily left him for hay and water and communing time with two mares. Cade had entirely forgotten to leave his horse by water while he’d been…visiting with Sabrina.

  His body jumped at the intense memory flash of the softness of her skin. He beat it away with effort, intent on being normal in front of Antonio.

  They walked through the back door straight into the kitchen. The delicious aroma of Mexican food reminded him he hadn’t eaten since much earlier that day.

  “God, that smells wonderful.” Cade sucked in a lungful of the spicy scent.

  Antonio chuckled. “I hope it’s not burned. I left in a hurry but I did take the pan off the hot part of the stove. Please sit and I’ll get some dinner for us.”

  Cade sat at the rough-hewn wooden table, strangely content again in the company of the soft-spoken man he wasn’t ready to call friend. Antonio was one of the first people Cade had met who was comfortable with who he was and what he had. There was a kind of calm that existed around Antonio, one that Cade envied.

  Apparently skilled in the kitchen, Antonio served up tamales for both of them in minutes, with hot steaming meat covered in the tastiest spices. Cade peeled the cornhusk back and bit into the hot concoction. His mouth exploded with flavor.

  “Damn, if you were a woman, I’d marry you.” Cade spoke around the mouthful of deliciousness.

  “Thank God I’m not a woman.” Antonio laughed.

  They ate together, without the need for frivolous conversation. To Cade, it was the first relaxing moment he’d had in a while. The spicy Mexican tamales were the perfect way to bring him back from the razor’s edge he’d been dancing on.

  After they ate, Antonio left the dishes in the wooden sink and put a top on the pan with the meaty filling.

  “I’ve got to finish moving Mamá downstairs before dark. She can’t get up and down the stairs anymore since she broke her hip, and I can’t keep her out of the kitchen. So I finished the room behind it for her.” Antonio gestured to the door to the saloon. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like to drink.”

  The raging whiskey demon that lay sleeping within Cade roared to life at the suggestion he could have whatever he’d like. Although he’d drunk water with his meal, he was thirsty again. He actually smacked his lips at the thought of the amber liquid. He knew better than to even step into the saloon in the condition he was in. God knows he’d probably never make it out on his own power.

  “No, thanks for the offer though. I’ll give you a hand with moving your mamá though. If you want the help.”

  Antonio smiled, a flash of white in his face. “Well I’m not about to say no.”

  They headed upstairs, Cade wondering what the hell had possessed him to volunteer to help. He didn’t like families, especially mothers. They made him nervous, jumpy and downright uncomfortable. He expected no less of Mrs. Rodriguez.

  Her room was at the top of a very steep staircase in the back of the saloon. The steps were well swept and smelled of pine oil. Antonio knocked and a murmured greeting came from within the room. He glanced at Cade. “Ready?”

  Cade frowned and waved his hand forward. No need to let the world know about his problems with people’s mothers. Most folks had one they could rely on, but there were definitely exceptions to that rule. He followed Antonio into the room and was struck by the connection between the man and his mother.

  She couldn’t have been much taller than Clara, although Mrs. Rodriguez stooped over as many old ladies did. She had steel gray hair and eyes sharper than the knife currently residing in Cade’s boot. After a minute of pure hell while she looked him over, he began to itch as if an army of ants marched up his spine.

  What a fucking day.

  “Mamá, this is the man I told you about, Cade Brody. He helped Jeremiah when he was hurt today.”

  Mrs. Rodriguez’s stonelike expression melted at Antonio’s words. “Ah, bueno. Con mucho gusto, Señor Brody. Gracias por tu ayuda.”

  “De nada,” Cade answered in Spanish, unwilling to accept more than passing thanks for what he’d done. Truth be told, he had been annoyed the kid had hurt himself. Driving him into Eustace wasn’t a heroic feat.

  Without further ado, Cade and Antonio carried her dresser and bed downstairs, followed by the woman herself, who couldn’t traverse the stairs alone. The last items left in the room were in a crate by the rocking chair—a cross, a lock of dark hair in a braid and a photograph of Antonio with a younger female woman. Cade assumed it was his dead sister, Elisabeth.

  “That was my wife.” Antonio appeared beside him, startling the shit out of Cade.

  Used to be no one could come within a hundred yards of Cade without him being aware of it. Now he didn’t have enough sense to hear a big Mexican walking up a set of wooden stairs.
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  Cade finally registered Antonio’s words. “Was your wife?”

  “Caterina. The most beautiful girl you ever met, inside and out. She died giving birth to our daughter two years ago. I threw the picture away, but Mamá kept it.” For the first time Cade saw something other than contentment in Antonio’s face. Pure, significant grief came to the surface so quickly, Cade stepped away.

  He could not possibly accept anyone else’s sadness.

  “I’m sorry.” Inane words but he didn’t know what else to say.

  “Gracias. I miss her every day.” Antonio tucked the picture back into the crate and walked out of the room, leaving Cade to carry the rocking chair.

  He wondered if Antonio’s father had made it for his young wife when their first child came along. She probably nursed them, rocked them and sang to her children as they grew. Like a normal mother would.

  Cade almost slapped himself at the melancholy foolishness that ran through his head. With a mental kick in the ass, he picked up the chair and headed back downstairs.

  After getting Mrs. Rodriguez settled in, Antonio walked Cade out to his horse. As he was saddling the contrary bay, Antonio gazed off into the sunset, a frown creasing his brow.

  “I saw you come from the store earlier.”

  Cade froze for a split second, his heart thumping loudly. He resumed checking the cinch, wondering what Antonio was going to say next, hoping he wasn’t going to stick his nose into Sabrina’s business.

  “Sabrina is a very good friend of mine. Her husband Eric had also been a friend. I look after her and she after me—we share a bond, she and I, as a spouse who has lost.” Antonio turned his serious gaze on Cade. “I like you, but I love her as a sister. Don’t hurt her.”

  Cade’s breath came out in cloudy puffs in the crisp night air. He hadn’t expected Antonio to speak of Sabrina, but now he half expected to be warned off. Instead, he was gently reminded that she had people who cared for her.

  “I don’t plan on doing anything with her,” Cade lied through his teeth.