She wouldn’t let the words infiltrate or their meaning interrupt. Time to think things through in the morning. Tonight was for this.
Sam didn’t stop with the bra. As soon as he had that off, he sat up to pull off his boots, then hers. Lying back down beside her, he traced a pattern from her shoulder to her waist. Lisa shivered.
Turnabout was fair, and she traced a matching pattern against his chest, pleased to hear his swiftly indrawn breath when she brushed her nails lightly across one tight nipple.
His hands moved to the fastener of her jeans, and she matched him, step for step. With the sound of zippers moving in the dark, she caught her breath. The back of his fingers against her belly set fire to her desire. She had trouble with his zipper, there was a lot more behind it than normal with his arousal.
Feeling cherished and satisfactorily feminine, she delighted in the knowledge that she had the power to cause that reaction in him. Despite what had gone on in the past, there was no denying Sam wanted her.
When they had shed their clothes, they came together with no inhibition, no shyness. It was as if the last two years had never happened. Their touch aroused awakening long dormant yearnings and desires.
Lisa grew impatient for the closeness they’d always shared, the spiraling thrill and exquisite sensations that always made her feel as if she were exploding from the inside out.
Her fingertips touched everywhere, as she reveled in the sensation that continued to build. She was so hot! And felt wound as tight as a spring. She tasted him on his shoulder, his chest, back to his mouth.
She’d never get enough of this man, and wanted even more.
His hands worked magic, caressing her, brushing her hair from her face, sending shivering spirals of ecstasy through her very core. She could scarcely think. Her mouth wanted his locked against her. Tugging suggestively, she tried to move him on top of her.
“Damn.” Sam stopped stroking her and sat up abruptly.
“What?” Dazed, she tried to read his expression. Why had he stopped?
“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He rose and headed for the bathroom. The sudden bright light caused her to turn away and close her eyes. She didn’t want the mood shattered. What was he doing?
“I don’t believe this!”
“What?” she called, starting to get cool. The air-conditioning was working quite well in the room and without Sam’s hot body against hers, she felt the drop in temperature.
He came out of the bathroom. “I don’t have any protection. Do you?”
She blinked and slowly shook her head.
“Why not?”
“I haven’t needed any.”
His fist hit the wall beside the bathroom door.
“I thought guys always carried a condom in their wallet,” she said, pulling the light coverlet over her as she grew even cooler.
“Not if it’s not needed. And I haven’t needed one since-- ” He stopped suddenly.
Lisa felt like a child all dressed up and no where to go. The blood hummed through her veins, her skin felt two sizes too small for her and she wanted nothing so much as for him to come back and kiss her again. Take up where they left off until they were both complete.
But to make love without protection would be the dumbest thing in the world. Nothing was resolved between them. And to risk bringing another child into the world without a firm reconciliation would be unacceptable.
Suddenly the humor in the situation struck her. Lisa smiled a little. “It’s a little funny, don’t you think?”
Sam glared at her. “I find nothing humorous about this at all!”
She sat up and switched on the lamp beside the bed. Slowly she reached down on the floor and pulled on her shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m freezing. My, er, heater left.”
Sam stomped over to his jeans and pulled them on. He shrugged into his shirt and then picked up his socks and boots, carrying them to the chair.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Going to find an all-night drug store,” he grumbled.
Lisa was hard pressed to keep from giggling. Their big seduction scene squashed flat for lack of protection.
She studied Sam thoughtfully, and a warm glow filled her. Tonight had not been planned. Nor was he in the habit of carrying around condoms on the off chance he’d score with some woman. Had he been as lonely as she had been for the last two years? Was he a one-woman man as she was growing to suspect she was a one-man woman?
“I think it’s nice you didn’t have any,” she said softly.
He looked up, frowning. “Well, that makes one of us. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t go anywhere.”
Lisa shook her head. He came to the bed and knelt down beside her, kissing her, pressing her back into the pillows.
They were both breathing hard when he stood.
“Just to mark our place,” he murmured, snatching up his hat and storming out of the room.
As soon as Lisa knew he was gone, she lay back and giggled. The release of tension felt marvelous. She felt wonderful and couldn’t wait for him to return.
* * *
IT HAD BEEN cold in the room, Sam acknowledged as he stepped out into the muggy Houston night. The hotel gift shop had long been closed for the day. But the man at the desk had given him directions to a nearby pharmacy that was open all night. Sam debated driving and decided to walk. It wouldn’t take that long, and the exercise would clear his head.
He couldn’t believe he had Lisa in his bed and neither had any protection. Of course if he’d ever considered they’d come to this point, he’d have made sure he brought a box.
He found it interesting that she had none and no need for it. What did that mean? That she hadn’t thought about the two of them getting together even for a night? Or that she hadn’t been sleeping with anyone since their divorce?
The thought of her with another man burned in his belly. He had always hated knowing he hadn’t been her first. A dumb assumption in this day and age, but one he couldn’t help. He hadn’t been a virgin on their wedding night, why expect her to be, had been her argument. Logically he had no argument for it. But emotionally was a different matter.
And knowing his brother had been one of the men she’d slept with hadn’t helped matters. Had he not known that, would it have made a difference to their marriage? To the jealousy he couldn’t seem to control around Nick?
Not as long as Lisa constantly turned to Nick when things got too much for her. Sam had wanted her to turn to him. But she never had.
He bought a small box at the drugstore and headed back to the hotel. All the way back he wondered if she’d had second thoughts and returned to her room.
When he opened the door, the light was still on beside the bed. And his first thought was She’d stayed.
Then he saw she was fast asleep.
Sam stared at her for a moment, unable to believe the way the night was going. Sighing softly, he tossed the box on the bathroom counter and switched off the light.
With the glow of the bedside lamp, he disrobed and slid in the bed beside her. Lisa didn’t move, her breathing slow and steady.
Switching off the lamp, he turned and gathered her into his arms, relishing the feel of her warm body against his. They had often slept this way, as if they could feel connected in sleep as they had not managed awake.
Sam lay awake, gently aroused, holding Lisa as she slept. He stared into the darkness, thinking about the way his life had gone. Searching for some way to reclaim the woman he wanted in his life. Not finding any.
There was too much between them. And once she knew about Margot, Lisa wouldn’t give him the time of day.
It was late when Sam finally drifted to sleep.
* * *
LISA AWOKE SLOWLY. Something wasn’t right.
She opened her eyes and saw Sam. Her cheek rested on his shoulder, one of his arms was beneath her head, the other across his chest, his finge
rtips just touching her.
She blinked and moved back an inch or so to better focus. He was sound asleep and the slight movement she made had no impact. His lashes were dark crescents against the top of his cheeks. His morning beard showed. Daringly, she reached a finger up to brush lightly against the slight abrasion. Memories flooded again.
Sighing softly for their aborted attempt last night at a reconciliation of a sort, she wondered what time it was. They needed to be at the stockyard before ten when the next auction began. It was full daylight outside, so couldn’t be that early.
She shifted and scooted off the bed, needing the bathroom. Closing the door and switching on the light the first thing she saw was the box Sam had gone out to get last night.
“And I couldn’t even stay awake,” she chided herself gently.
Five minutes later, she slipped back into bed, box in hand.
The auction could wait. She wasn’t leaving until she and Sam settled something.
He rolled over and opened his eyes, gazing into hers.
“I heard you in the bathroom. I wondered if you were getting dressed.”
She shook her head, and balanced the box on his arm.
“We have some unfinished business, I believe. And I guess it’s a lot from the size of the box.”
Slowly he moved to draw her up against him, brushing his lips across hers in a slow morning kiss.
“If I leave you for two minutes, will you fall asleep again?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I have no intention of falling asleep any time soon.”
Sam made a quick trip to the bathroom. Lisa used the time to open the box of condoms and withdraw one, laying it on his pillow. She reached across and put the box on the nightstand.
When Sam returned, she watched, letting her gaze skim over every inch, her heart racing as she delighted in the visual feast before her. Sam was male perfection wide shoulders, long legs, and a body the men in her insurance office in Denver would have paid big bucks to try to get at some gym. Back in his younger days he'd gotten the tats on his arm. It seemed deliciously daring. He had so much he needed to do. Places he needed to be.
But for the moment, he was all hers.
She smiled, her body already anticipating the touch of his, the excitement of being near him more than she deserved.
His kiss was heady, the beginning of something wild and wonderful. His hands moved with remembered assurance, heating her skin, building the flame that would consume them.
Lisa gave freely with everything she had. Her mouth relished tasting him, skimming across his jaw, settling on the pounding pulse point at the base of his throat, licking lightly to taste the salty texture of his skin.
Every touch, every lick, every nibble only sent the spiraling flame higher until she knew she would burn up if he didn’t do something to assuage that fiery desire.
He made short work of the foil packet and moved over her, his knees spreading hers as he found his place in the cradle of her hips.
She caught her breath when he entered, it had been so long and she’d forgotten
She had not time to think. Sam’s touch moved her beyond thought to primal instincts where she could only react to the uproar through her body, the heat building, straining for the closeness that only Sam could deliver.
When the kaleidoscope of color and feelings exploded inside her, she clung to him, knowing he was her anchor in the world. His own embrace tightened as she felt him move in her and softly groan the delight of his own release. Together they crested the wave and slid down into the sweet lethargy of release.
Tiny shafts of pleasure darted hither and yon. She tightened her muscles to extend the feelings, wishing she never had to move again.
He nuzzled her neck, kissing up to her mouth. Then he raised his head and gazed down into her eyes.
“You all right?”
“I couldn’t be better,” she said with a smile. She tracked random patterns against his back, feeling the damp skin dry in the cool room. Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to the pleasure that continued to pulse through her body, and the delight of being with Sam once again.
The minutes drifted by, quiet and slow. She was sleepy, sated, satisfied.
“Does this change things, Lisa?” Sam asked at long last.
She opened her eyes to look at him.
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know.” He withdrew, rolled to his side. Lisa felt chilled. Reaching for the sheet tangled at the bottom of the bed, she pulled it up, wishing for warmth.
“Maybe we need to talk.”
“No kidding.”
“I’m serious, Sam. I’ve changed over the time we’ve been apart. I realize most of the reason for the divorce was my fault ”
His head turned swiftly on the pillow as he looked at her. “I thought it was mine.”
“I said so at the time. It was hard to live with you constantly watching me and Nick as if we were going to hop in bed together at any second. And you didn’t talk to me about things when I’d ask.”
“I wanted to give you the sun and moon.”
“I didn’t want the sun and moon, I wanted a husband--someone who trusted me and turned to me when he needed something.”
Sam gave a short cold laugh. “That’s rich, you turned to Nick every time you needed support.”
“Maybe because he listened to me. Treated me as if I were an adult.”
“And I didn’t?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t treat you as a child,” he said.
“No, but not as a partner in a marriage either. Wait I know what you’re going to say. You would have if I’d acted like one. I have to agree. I was too young, I think, when we got married. Too young to have a baby right away.”
“You regret Joey?” Sam frowned.
“No! Never that. But if I had thought it out, I would have waited a bit. I was twenty-three when he was born. Looking back now, I don’t feel I’d finished growing up.”
“You seemed grownup to me.”
“Then why wasn’t I privileged enough to be treated as a partner in our marriage? Or even a confident. Do you know I just found out from Jennifer a stranger I’ve known a few weeks that you always wanted to be a vet?”
He looked at the ceiling. “It doesn’t matter. I have the ranch to look after.”
“The point is why didn’t I know that from you?”
“It’s something I thought about as a teenager. Reality stepped in when my father died and left me in charge.”
“But dreams are what make us who we are. And you never shared that one with me. What does that tell you about our relationship?”
“There were things you never told me.”
She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, startled to find how warm he still was. “That’s my point,” she said softly. “We didn’t do a good job.”
Lisa held her breath. She wanted him to suggest they try again, doing it differently this time.
Instead, Sam rose and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. “You’re right. We didn’t do a good job.” Standing he headed for the bathroom. “We need to get ready to go. It’ll be ten before long.”
Lisa watched in disbelief as he closed the door behind him.
“That was not the way I wanted this to end,” she murmured, rising and hunting around for her clothes. Drawing on her jeans, she eyed the bathroom door, wishing she were brave enough to beard him in there and demand they discuss things more fully.
That’s what they needed, none of this running away when things got sticky. Hadn’t that been her modis operandi from before?
Dressing quickly, she found her room key and headed for her own room, before Sam could get out of the shower. If he wanted time alone, fine. She’d give it to him.
She stood beneath a hot shower for a long time, wondering what to do. Was there any significance to his walking away, or had he just wanted some time alone to think things through?
She�
��d never been able to second guess the man, and it didn’t look as if she had improved at all in the years apart.
* * *
LISA FINISHED DRESSING debating whether to call Sam or not. Maybe she should get breakfast on her own and call a cab to the stockyard. She had not come to Houston expecting to be in Sam’s pocket every moment. Time she reasserted her own independence.
Last night had not change anything. Well, it had ended a long dry spell, she thought, placing her hat on her head. But fundamentally, nothing had changed. If she wanted to see what Sam had in mind, they’d have to sit down and do some serious talking about the future.
But not today. Today, she had to go and earn her paycheck.
She opened her door, almost stumbling when she saw Sam leaning against the wall opposite.
“Ready for breakfast?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They walked down to the elevator. “You could have called to ask,” she said as they waited.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d hang up on me or not. I think I made a tactical error in leaving before we could have that meaningful discussion.”
A feeling of relief flooded.
“Actually, it was probably a good thing. This is neither the time nor the place,” she said almost breathlessly. Did that mean he did want to have a discussion?
“And the time and place would be?”
“When we have finished our business here. Maybe on the ride back? We won’t be interrupted or distracted unless we encounter traffic.”
“And until then?” he asked.
She linked her arm with his and smiled up at him. “Until then, cowboy, I’m all yours.”
The elevator doors opened. Five people stared at them.
“We'll wait for the next one,” Sam said. The door slid shut and he turned and kissed her deeply.
The day at the stockyard flew by. She successfully bid on two more bulls; one that Bill Taylor had indicated he'd like, and one that Sam recommended. She met more ranchers, and for the most part she introduced herself as just Lisa. Fending off questions of a personal nature, she asked ranching questions and learned as much as she could from the assortment of experts.
Love Me Some Cowboy Page 46
