by Tessa Layne
Shit.
How could she not lose her mind when he touched her the way he did? Being with him was like nothing she’d ever experienced. A cosmic union of massive proportions. Did he not feel it too?
With a sigh, he dropped to an elbow next to her. Surely it was a good sign he kept his hand on her belly, caressing in slow circles? After a long moment, he spoke, voice thick with emotion. “I’m not used to people touching me. Not for pleasure.”
Her heart squeezed at the heaviness in his voice. She placed her hand on his thigh. “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head.
“Do you want me to touch you?”
He shut his eyes, face pulling tight. “I… yes, no… I don’t know.” He opened his eyes, staring right into her heart. “I don’t know. I do know I like touching you. Very much.”
“I like that, too.”
The corners of his mouth pulled down. “I can’t… I’m not relationship material.”
She moved her hand to his heart, counting the beats beneath her palm. He might be struggling, but his heart thumped steady and strong. Her mouth curled up. “I have no expectations beyond this moment. But we can stop if you want to.”
Jason let out a strangled sound. “I don’t want to.”
She chewed on her lip, unsure of how she could ease his mind.
“Stop doing that,” he whispered.
“What? This?” She bit her lip harder, flicking a glance at him. Lust burned in his eyes. She licked her lower lip.
“Yes,” he groaned. “That.”
“Why?” she teased.
He scowled, obviously warring with himself. “Because it makes me want to devour you.”
“Yes, please.” She let out a soft giggle. “I’m okay with that.” She lifted her chin, offering up her mouth.
He cupped the back of her head, and brought his mouth to hers in a fierce, claiming kiss. Devour indeed. Her toes curled from the heat of it. When they parted, she couldn’t remember which way was up. “Are you sure?”
His mouth grazed the hollow of her neck, instantly puckering her nipples as tingles ripped through her. “Very.”
“I really want to touch you.”
“Go for it,” he mumbled, mouth working his way down to take a nipple in his mouth. His tongue did magnificent things, reigniting the fire between her legs. She wanted the same for him, to drive him wild with need until he let go completely.
Fumbling with his zipper, she slipped a hand inside his boxers, seeking the heart of him. Something inside her slid home when she clasped his erection and he groaned, arching into her. She could get used to this, touching him, reading his cues, discovering what set him off.
She squeezed gently, stroking up his hard shaft. He groaned, nipping her skin. “More?”
“Yes,” he uttered.
She repeated her action, swiping her thumb across the slick head at the top. The noise he made deep in his throat, went straight to her pussy, the heady power of bringing him pleasure, an aphrodisiac. “I want to… can I taste you?”
He lifted his head, eyes burning embers. “As in go down on me?”
She nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
A slow smile curved up his mouth. “No man in his right mind would say no to that.” He dropped to an elbow and rolled onto his back, opening himself to her.
She shifted over him, working his pants and shorts down over his hips, careful to leave them high enough his prosthetic was covered. She wanted him thinking about her mouth on his cock, not about his prosthetic. Sitting back on her heels, she checked in with him. “You okay?”
He let out a soft low laugh. “Never better.”
He was magnificent, cock jutting out, heavy and thick. Her pussy clenched in anticipation of the moment he pushed into her. She cupped his balls, loving the weight of him in her palm, then slid her hand along the length of him before lowering her head. Placing a kiss on the hollow below his hip bone, she inhaled the musky scent of his arousal, masculine and sharp. Energy buzzed through her as she took her first taste, licking him in one smooth move from root to tip. His arousal coated her tongue, salty and slick. Closing her mouth around his thick head, she tasted again, licking every drop that flowed from him.
His hand landed on her head, massaging, encouraging. She took more of him, tonguing the sensitive spot along the ridge. “Fucking heaven,” he uttered, with a guttural moan, arching into her.
Oh, she could definitely do more of this with him. She continued her ministrations until he gripped her hair tightly. “Stop.” With a jerk, he pulled out, chest heaving. “I’m not coming in your mouth this time. Gimme that condom.”
“Let me.” She tore it open and unrolled it over his slick length, then climbed over him.
But before she could lower herself onto him, he snaked an arm around her and rolled them over. With a sly grin and a raise of his eyebrow, he caressed her jaw. “Ready?
“More than.”
He settled himself between her legs, then eyes boring into hers, straight into the deepest part of her, he slowly entered, filling and stretching her. They both gasped from the intensity of it. This… was a homecoming of sorts. She rocked into him, seeking the friction she desperately needed.
He moved inside her, holding her gaze. Lifting her arms, she reached for his hands, entwining his fingers with hers. Sensation rocketed through her, ballooning and expanding, carrying her closer and closer to the edge.
“I’m not sure I can last much longer,” he said tightly, moving with sure, strong strokes.
“I’m right here with you,” she answered between breaths, matching him thrust for thrust.
He pushed harder, longer, brushing her clit with each movement. The balloon inside her burst into a million pieces, and she shattered with a cry, launched into a cosmic ocean of light and energy. She was dimly aware of Jason’s matching cries, but she couldn’t hear or feel anything. She existed only in a plane of bliss.
Jason collapsed on top of her, skin damp, resting his head in the crook of her neck. They lay quietly, neither speaking. Never, in her wildest imaginings, had it been like this.
After a long time, he raised his head, expression soft with wonder. “I have no words for what just happened.”
She smiled, limbs languid in the aftermath. “No need for them.”
He rolled onto his side, giving her a goofy smile, tracing the back of a finger down her cheek. “Thank you for that.”
She raised her eyebrows, not caring that her smile was probably just as goofy. “No one says we have to stop right now…” her voice trailed off.
“Hmm…” He lowered his head, kissing the sensitive spot at the hollow of her neck. “You’ve bewitched me.”
Her pulse skipped as his hand came to her hip. “Is that a good thing?” she whispered breathlessly, warmth spreading from where he touched her.
“I know I said I could only give you right now–”
“It’s still right now,” she interjected, voice wavering. She’d take a long string of right nows with him. For as long as he’d give them.
“True.” His mouth came to her shoulder, landing as softly as a butterfly, and fluttering across her collarbone as he moved over her. “And it’s still tonight.”
“Yes,” she murmured, rifling her fingers through his hair as she arched into him. “For several more hours.” The ache had returned, heating and spreading through her like slow-moving lava.
He lifted his head, eyes burning. “We can’t do this again. Beyond tonight.”
She drew a hand down his spine, secretly smiling at the way his body reacted to her touch. “But you’ll help me with my wine?”
“I’ll help you with anything you want if you do that again.”
“This?” She pressed a hand into the hard plane of his belly.
He answered by taking her mouth, tongue demanding an entrance she’d never deny. Every time she kissed him, it was like a piece of her soul slid home. And Universe help her, it didn’t matter they’d only bee
n together a handful of hours. She’d already fallen hook, line, and sinker for Jason Case.
CHAPTER 8
Jason shifted uncomfortably on the shower bench while he scrubbed his skin within an inch of its life. It had just been a no-strings-attached fuck, between two consenting adults who agreed to get naked under the stars. Right? So why couldn’t he stop thinking about Millie? Why couldn’t he stop wanting her? They’d agreed to one and done, except it had been over and over again all night and done. Same thing.
Not.
Three weeks and no Millie. No phone call, no spontaneous visit. Just like she’d promised – one night, no strings, no expectations. So why did that irritate him the way it did? He hadn’t called either. Or manufactured an excuse to stop by her store, and for good reason. Yet here he was, restless and hungry as a caged animal.
A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal.
The promise he’d made to her ate at him. The look on her face when she’d asked if he’d help with her wine, the hope, the expectation… the absolute faith in him. Was it lying if he’d agreed to help her with her grapes, and then promptly volunteered for every project on the ranch that Sterling or Travis needed help with? Jason, can you help Hope and Cash in the ring? Jason, we need to move the cattle to the north pasture. Jason, we need to mend the east fence. Whatever it was, he was there, working his muscles until they ached. Anything to avoid temptation. Anything to forget the feeling of Millie coming apart beneath him. The way her blonde curls spread out like a halo, or the way her skin glowed in the moonlight. The fact that he was looking for wiggle room indicated it was lying, his conscience pointed out.
Worst? All he had to do was think about her, and he had a fucking semi. Pathetic. Three fucking weeks in a state of constant arousal. He should rub one off and be done with it. He’d done it hundreds of times before, but never with someone’s face in his mind. Never to the memory of a woman’s body. He hurled the washrag into the corner of the shower. Ahh, hell. He didn’t have time for this crap today. What he needed was a sweaty, exhausting workout. Travis had offered up the use of his home gym, and Jason wanted to get in some daily PT before he dove into another day of working himself to the bone. It felt good to push his physical limits to the breaking point again. Almost as if he were back in the Army.
But not quite, his prosthetic taunted from its place next to the shower. With a sigh, Jason turned off the water and reached for the towel. When he’d dried off, he slipped on his boxers. Standing, he reached for the clean pair of jeans folded next to his prosthetic liner. He slipped the right pant leg over the prosthetic, letting it bunch around the ankle. Then he rolled on the liner and slipped his limb into the socket, bouncing it a few times to ensure the vacuum was engaged. He jammed his meat leg into his jeans and secured them at his hips, then stepped to the sink for a shave. He should feel grateful for the technology that allowed him to move so freely. Instead, he glared at his reflection in the mirror. What woman would want to see this every morning? Live with a seat as a permanent shower fixture?
Which was exactly why he’d gone out of his way to avoid Millie, promise or not. He’d learned the hard way from Veronica and a handful of dates over the last four years exactly what women thought of an incomplete man. A wave of loneliness crashed over him. Pulling at him with a force that could drown him, suck him under. It didn’t matter that Millie looked at him with something akin to worship. Sooner or later, she’d realize she’d gotten way more than she bargained for.
A knock sounded at the cabin door.
“Come in,” Jason hollered through the open door of the bathroom. “I’m almost finished.”
Sterling burst inside. “We’ve got problems. Graces’ herd–” He stopped mid-sentence. “What the hell is this?”
Jason’s stomach flopped. Millie’s basket. He’d left the basket on the table last night. Shit. He’d kept his basket purchase under close wraps, in an effort to avoid the ribbing he knew would come if Sterling discovered it here in his cabin. Slowly, he wiped off his razor and rinsed his face. To ignore or not to ignore? That was the question. Ignore. “You said we’ve got problems?”
Sterling chuckled. “You’re not getting off that easy. What are you doing with Millie’s basket? I wondered who’d been fool enough to buy all that wine.”
Jason ran a towel over his face. “Wine’s not that bad, really.” Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, some of the bottles were… too much. But others had potential. You could improve them, his conscience pricked. “And the lotion feels nice on my stump.” Bile rose up in the back of his throat. He hated talking about his leg with anyone. Even Sterling. And Sterling had seen him at his worst. He came out of the bathroom in time to see Sterling reading the back cover of one of the romance novels that had been tucked into the basket.
“Seriously?” Sterling smirked, waving the book. “Never thought I’d live to see the day.”
“Not a word, Walker.”
“Are you so out of practice you’re looking for pointers?”
“Shut it.” His voice held a note of warning.
“I’m sure Millie’d be happy to help you out.” Sterling waggled his eyebrows.
Jason’s neck flamed. He stalked to the table and snatched the book, tossing it on the table. “I’m sure she’s smart enough to not waste her time.”
“Oh. So you just needed a little late-night reading?” Sterling filled in, mouth twitching.
“No,” he answered tightly. “You don’t understand.” Sterling hadn’t been there to see how downcast she’d looked because no one had bid on her basket.
Sterling’s shoulders shook. “Oh, wait until I tell Emma. You’re dead gone on Millie.”
“Am not.”
Sterling snorted his disagreement.
“She’s not my type,” Jason protested. “I felt bad no one bought her basket.”
“So bad, that you’ve also consumed…” Sterling peered into the case next to the basket. “Five bottles of her crazy wine? I thought you were done with the wine business.”
“It’s not crazy. There’s room for improvement. And yes, I’m done.”
Sterling crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “You like her. That’s why you’re avoiding her. I knew it. I’m calling Macey.”
Jason shook his head. “Dude, no.” The last thing he needed was Johnny’s widow getting excited over nothing. She’d start calling, asking for weekly updates.
Sterling pulled out his phone. “Dude, not even Johnny bought frilly shit when he was in love with Macey. I’m calling her right now.”
“C’mon, man. Cut me some slack.”
“Fuck, no. This is too good. And besides, we owe her a call. Mace?” Sterling grinned. “Hey, it’s Sterling. How are things?”
Shit. If the cabin weren’t so small, he’d tackle Sterling for the phone right now. He scowled, crossing his arms as Sterling went on and on about Emma, waiting for the shoe to drop. And it would, because Sterling was having way too much fun at his expense.
“Jason has some news.” Sterling smirked and shot him an I’ve got you now, fucker glance. “Here, I’ll let him tell you.” He tossed the phone across the room. If it had been anyone but their best friend’s widow, he’d have dropped it. But they’d made promises at Johnny’s graveside, and no amount of embarrassment would make him break it.
“Hey, Mace. How’s it going?”
“You met someone, didn’t you?”
The knot in his sternum twisted painfully at the eagerness in her voice. Johnny hadn’t even been gone six months, and here she was sounding happy and excited. He cleared his throat. “Sterling’d like you to think that.”
“I can hear it in your voice. You sound… softer. Good for you.”
Softer? He sounded insane. Millie Prescott was making him lose his mind. He shook his head. “Really, it’s nothing.”
“Ask him about the beauty basket he bought at our fundraiser, Mace,” Sterling called across the room, loud enough there was no way she didn’t
hear. “She’s got him reading romance novels.”
“Really? I like her already.” Macey laughed. A sound he and Jason rarely heard when they talked to her these days.
“Ask him who it is, Mace,” Sterling called out again.
Jason glared. “Really? Do you want the phone back?”
“Local girl?” Macey asked.
“Really, Mace, it’s no one.” The denial struck a dissonant chord inside him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Being with Millie had ripped something open inside of him and to deny it, demeaned it. Yet, there was no way he’d admit to either of his friends what had transpired. They’d go all goofy, not accepting his argument that he had nothing to offer a life-partner. But he knew better. There was no future for him with Millie. They were too different.
He could hear Macey smiling when she spoke. “If you say so. Well, keep me posted.”
“Give Sophie a hug and kiss from Uncle Jason.”
“And me, too.” Sterling chimed in.
Jason disconnected and tossed the phone back to Sterling with a little more force than necessary.
“Calm down,” Sterling chided. “Don’t get your boxers in a twist. With as much help you and Macey gave me with Emma, the least I can do is return the favor.” His mouth turned up with a snicker.
“Fuck you, asshole. I can handle myself.”
“We’ll see about that.” Sterling flashed him a playful grin, then turned serious. “We have a situation.”
“Oh?”
“What I came down to tell you, before I got sidetracked with your…” Sterling nodded at the basket, “personal life, was that the Graces’ cows pushed down a fence and got into our pasture. It’s gonna take a whole crew of us to sort them out this morning. I’ve got people coming from some of the other ranches, but you’re one of the most experienced horsemen we have on site.”
Not for the first time since he’d arrived, he silently thanked his step-mother for forcing riding lessons on all of them when they’d been kids. “How can I help?”
