by R. C. Ryan
“What—?”
Before he could say a word she was across the room, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You can’t do ranch chores and take care of other people’s animals all day, and then spend all night in your truck watching over me like some avenging angel. Look at you.” She paused to study him, from the lean denims to the plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. His eyes were still heavy-lidded from sleep, his lips curved in that killer smile that always destroyed her.
A jolt of pure lust slammed into her. Without realizing it, her voice softened. As did her eyes. “I mean, just look at you, Jake. You’re practically dead on your feet. What am I going to do with you?”
“Point me toward a bed?”
Her anger deflated on a deep sigh. “Take your pick. There are three bedrooms upstairs, and all of them empty.”
“Which one are you sleeping in?”
She nodded toward the doorway. “I plan on staying in the office.”
“Okay.” He draped an arm around her shoulders and shot her his sexiest smile. “I can manage that.”
Her whole body tingled from his touch, but she was determined to ignore it. “I sleep alone.”
“Fair enough. But it’s what we can do before you fall asleep that takes two.”
“Nice line, Conway. But it’s not working.”
“I must be losing my touch.” He kept his arm around her shoulders as he inched her along the hallway. Once inside her office he paused to set his rifle in the corner of the room. When he straightened, he put both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “How about a quick good-night kiss before I pass out?”
Her lips curved in the slightest hint of a smile. “You’re good, Conway. And very clever. But I’m not falling for any of your tired lines.”
“I forgot.” He slapped a hand to his forehead. “You’re that jaded, big-city lawyer who’s heard it all before. Let’s see if I can come up with something new and unusual.”
His hand snaked out, catching her by surprise. “How about this?”
Before she could form a response he dragged her close and kissed her long and slow and deep.
It wasn’t just a kiss. It was an invasion of all her senses. She couldn’t think when he was kissing her like this. Couldn’t seem to make her mind function at all. Her brain cells were slowly turning to mush.
The kiss softened to an invitation she couldn’t refuse. She had no choice but to return it with an invitation of her own.
Jake drew her fractionally closer, changed the angle of his head, and kissed her again, all the while backing her across the room until they abruptly bumped into the wall.
As they slowly surfaced, he plunged his fingers into her hair, combing it back and staring deeply into her eyes. Eyes that looked as dazed as he felt.
“Conway—”
“I know. Too rough. I’m sor—”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Jake, I’m trying to tell you—”
“I know. I need to head upstairs. Just give me a min—”
She framed his face with her hands and forced him to look at her. “Shut up and kiss me, cowboy.”
“But—”
“Right now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gathered her into his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. And then, for good measure, he kissed her again, slowly, thoroughly, pouring himself into it with such intensity that she was actually vibrating with need.
With her lithe body pressed to his, he could feel her in every part of himself. All the blood seemed to drain from his head to pool in a certain portion of his anatomy with throbbing insistence. And still the kiss spun on and on as they practically crawled inside one another’s skin.
“I love kissing you, Jake,” she managed to breathe inside his mouth.
“You call that a kiss? I can do better.” To prove it, he ran nibbling kisses down her throat and buried his lips in the sensitive little hollow at the base of it before trailing hot, wet kisses across her shoulder to the tiny strap of her camisole.
With his teeth he drew the strap down her arm before moving his mouth ever so slowly across her collarbone to the other side to do the same.
The cami slipped free, baring her breasts.
When Jake cupped them in his palms, she made a sound like a half sob before arching her neck to give him easier access.
“Meg, you’re so beautiful.” His mouth followed his hands to caress, to kiss, to nibble and tease, until she felt her knees go weak.
She was frantic to touch him the way he was touching her. She reached a hand to the buttons of his shirt and nearly shredded it in her haste to tear it away.
With a laugh he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside before kicking off one boot and then the other. She had her hands at his waist and was about to help him out of his jeans when he managed it by himself.
She suddenly stopped and simply stared.
He had the body of a Greek god. All lean, hard muscles honed by a lifetime of ranch work. He was so sexy, so unbelievably gorgeous, he quite simply took her breath away.
She stood perfectly still as his hands moved over her, stripping aside her boxers and camisole, and dropping them at her feet.
Despite the sexy grin that curved his lips, his eyes were narrowed on her with such intensity, she couldn’t help shivering.
“There’s a sofa across—”
“Too far.” He reached for her and dragged her against him.
“But the floor—”
“—will have to do.” He was on fire. Every part of his body burned for her, and he knew that he had to touch her, taste her, take her, right this minute, or simply go mad.
His hands weren’t quite steady as they framed her face before claiming her lips. His fingers tangled in her hair as he drew her head back and nearly devoured her with his kisses.
Meg’s arms encircled his neck. She was as eager, as hungry, as he. With her hands in his hair, her fingers massaging his scalp, he could feel her little moans of pleasure as her body arched toward his, urging him to take her.
It was all the invitation he needed.
He lifted her, wrapping her legs around him, driving her back against the wall.
His hands moved over her at will now, savoring all that hot, firm flesh that was his for the taking. And he took, with a need that staggered him, feasting on the curve of her jaw, the soft, sweet column of her throat, and lower, to the full roundness of her breasts. He nibbled and suckled until she cried out and begged for release. He brought his hand between their bodies and found her, hot and wet, and brought her to the first crest. With her breath coming in hard, short gasps, he gave her no time to recover as he took her up and over yet again. And still he held back, keeping his own release just out of reach until he knew he could wait no longer. The beast inside him was fighting to be free.
There was no gentleness, no tenderness, in him as he drove himself into her. She responded with the same wild, primitive need, her body taking him in, closing around him, driving him half mad with desire.
They took each other on a frantic climb, and an even more desperate ride across the heavens.
When they reached the very edge of the world, they seemed to hang suspended in space until at last their bodies convulsed in a shattering climax that had them clinging together, their breathing harsh and ragged, their bodies slick with sheen.
Jake pressed his forehead to Meg’s and fought to quiet his strangled breathing, his wildly beating heart.
As his world slowly settled, he continued holding her against him. He was grateful for the wall behind her. Without it, they might have slid to the floor.
“Sorry I was so rough.”
She placed a palm to his cheek. “Were you?” She managed a dry laugh. “I guess we were both too greedy to take our time.”
“If you’ll give me a do-over, I promise next time I’ll be slow and tender. You deserve that, Meg.”
“A do-over?”
“Um-hmm.” He
nibbled her lips. “Slow and tender. Promise.”
She pressed her mouth to his ear and almost purred. “I guess I could be persuaded. Would you like to start now, or do you need time to recharge your engine?”
He threw back his head and laughed. Oh, she was such a delightful surprise. If he’d expected haughty recriminations, or words of regret about their out-of-control lusty romp, he was oh so wrong. “Baby, my engine is always charged and ready. So if you’ve got the time, I’ve definitely got the energy.”
“I don’t know.” She brushed a lock of dark hair from his forehead and allowed her hand to linger on his cheek. “I really liked you hot and fast. It was what we both needed. But now that we’ve fed the hard edge of hunger, I guess I’d be willing to see just how a cowboy does it when he’s feeling all slow and mellow.”
“Why, ma’am,” he said in his best lazy drawl, “you’re just full of surprises tonight. I do believe I can do slow and mellow, and any other way that you’d like it.”
She was laughing as he carried her across the room and lowered her to the sofa. And then, before she could say a word, he dropped feather-light kisses over her face, her neck, her collarbone, before dipping lower to tease her already sensitized breasts ever so softly with the tip of his tongue.
When he moved lower, to the soft skin of her stomach and thighs, she found herself falling back against the cushions, too steeped in pleasure to do more than purr little murmurs of appreciation.
With soft sighs and tender kisses, as though he had all the time in the world, he took her away from all the cares and worries that had plagued her these last days, from all that was familiar, to a place so sweet, so rich in sensual delight, all she could do was try to follow where he led.
It was a journey neither of them would ever forget.
“What’s this?” Meg awoke to find Jake, wearing nothing but his denims unsnapped and riding low on his hips, sitting on the edge of the sofa, holding a steaming mug of coffee.
“The coffee you promised me hours ago.”
With a laugh she sat up and tossed aside the afghan, only to find herself naked. “I seem to have lost my clothes.”
“I had the same problem. Some damned clothes gnome must have come sneaking in while we were otherwise occupied. There were clothes scattered everywhere. It looked like some kind of war was fought in here.”
Still laughing, she said, “Really? Who won?”
He gave her a knowing smile. “I don’t know about you, but I woke up feeling like a winner.”
“Same goes for me.” She picked up his shirt from the arm of the sofa where he’d just tossed it and slipped it on before reaching for his coffee. “Are you going to share?”
“You bet.” He watched as she took a long, soothing drink. “After what you so generously shared with me, I figured it was only fair that I make the coffee and share it.”
She handed back the mug. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A couple of hours. It’s almost three in the morning.”
“I don’t think I’ve slept this soundly since I got here. So, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” He set aside the coffee and took her hand in his. “Speaking of pleasure…” He kept his eyes steady on hers. “So far we’ve tried fast and slow, passionate and gentle. Is there anything else you’d care to do while I’m here to serve you?”
Meg gave a delighted laugh. “There is one thing we haven’t tried yet.”
“Name it and it’s yours.”
Her laughter grew. “We haven’t yet shared a bed.”
“A bed? Now there’s a novelty.”
She was still laughing as he scooped her up and headed for the stairs.
“Your wish is my command, ma’am.”
He kicked in the door to her bedroom and carried her across to the bed where he deposited her gently before shucking his jeans and lying beside her.
“Hold me, Jake.” Meg curled into his arms and wrapped herself around him.
“You feel so good here, Meg. So right.” He brushed kisses across her forehead, over her cheeks, to the tip of her nose, to the corner of her mouth, and finally to her waiting lips.
“I have to admit, Jake. You feel just right, too.” Meg sighed and returned his kisses, softly at first, and then growing more urgent, more heated, as her body began responding to the touch of his hands, the press of his body against hers.
As though a switch had been thrown, they went from slow and easy to avid and hungry in an instant.
They came together in a firestorm of passion.
Meg lay in Jake’s arms and watched the first blush of morning light begin to color the sky outside the window.
She felt slightly dazed by the intensity of their lovemaking.
She’d known, of course, that sooner or later she would give in to the temptation to taste the forbidden fruit this cowboy had been so blatantly offering since they first met. What she hadn’t expected was how he would make her feel.
Special. Cherished.
She knew she was fooling herself, thinking that this was anything more than a romp in the hay with a notorious ladies’ man. Everyone from Flora and Dora at the diner, to his own sisters-in-law, teased him unmercifully about his attraction to women. Maybe he’d simply perfected the art of seduction, and she would end up being just another of his one-night stands.
She knew she shouldn’t be fooled by his aw-shucks-ma’am act. But the truth was, she found him charming, funny, and downright irresistible. And if she was being a fool, at least for now she would revel in it.
She’d never felt this good. Never. And right now, she felt like shouting it to the rooftops.
Jake Conway was the world’s greatest lover. And she wanted to store up all the loving he was willing to give, so that on long, cold, lonely nights back in her town house, working on the latest earth-shattering trial that would demand every ounce of her energy, she could revisit this night in her mind, and enjoy once again the special way he’d made her feel all night.
She knew better than to believe in happily-ever-after. But if she couldn’t have forever, at least for now she would treasure the special way this cowboy made her feel.
She saw his eyes open and fasten on her. Until now she hadn’t noticed that his eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and there was always a glint of humor in them. Up close, she could see herself reflected in them, and it made her throat ache with unexpected need.
“’Morning, gorgeous redhead.”
“’Morning, sexy cowboy.”
He touched a finger to her mouth. “I hope I have something to do with that smile.”
“You have everything to do with it.”
“Good.” He stretched, before wrapping his arms around her and dragging her closer. “Let’s find another reason to smile.”
She offered her mouth like a banquet and shivered at the thought of what was to come. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Meg and Jake stepped from the shower together, looking thoroughly sated, and began to towel themselves.
With the towel draped around her, Meg sat on the edge of the bed and began running a comb through her wet hair.
“Let me do that.” Jake tied his towel around his waist before taking the comb from her hand and combing it through the thick red tresses.
He gave a murmur of approval. “Even wet, your hair feels like silk.”
Meg wondered if he knew how purely sensual it felt to have him combing her hair. It wasn’t something she’d ever let a man do before, and though they’d shared the most intimate acts during the night, this wasn’t something she’d have expected a rough rancher like Jake to want to share.
Then again, Jake Conway wasn’t like any man she’d ever known. He was full of surprises. Silly and irreverent, he constantly made her laugh. But he was also thoughtful and bright and respectful, in his own unique way.
Unique. It was the singular word she would use to describe Jake. A one-of-
a-kind man who had come into her life when she’d least expected him. He was tough, as only a Wyoming rancher could be. In a fight, she would definitely want him on her side. But she’d watched him connect with Cory in a way that showed him to be compassionate and tender. Two traits she’d never have expected from a guy who looked like Jake.
She was sorry they couldn’t have met under more ordinary, relaxed circumstances. Maybe then they could have moved along at a slow, leisurely pace, and actually built a relationship. As things stood now, the turmoil of her current situation made it impossible for her to think beyond today.
She was so deep in thought, she wasn’t aware of the sigh that escaped her lips.
Hearing it, Jake set aside the comb and moved his hands to her shoulders, where he kneaded and massaged the tight knots of tension he could feel there.
She dipped her head forward, allowing the warmth of his touch to seep into her bones. “Oh, that’s nice.”
“Speaking of nice…” His hands moved seductively down her back. He glanced at the tangled bed linens. “There’s still time…”
Meg laughed and got to her feet. “Conway, you’re insatiable.”
He stood and drew her back against him, pressing his mouth to her ear. “Are you saying that’s a bad thing?”
She shivered and turned into his arms, lifting a finger to his lips. “Not at all. In fact, it’s a very good thing. But right now, we need to get dressed and think about morning chores.”
“Am I hearing right? Who are you, and what have you done with Meg Stanford, Washington’s toughest trial lawyer? Is this really you, talking about mucking stalls and riding the range? Have you suddenly become a serious rancher?”
She grinned. “Maybe it’s contagious and I caught this ranching bug from you.”
“Go ahead. Lay the blame on me. I’ve got broad shoulders.”
She ran a hand up his arm and across his shoulder. “Yes, you do. Very broad shoulders. And the most glorious muscles.”
