Bound by an Angel

by Mackenzie McKade

  This wasn’t helping. In fact, it made Tess feel worse. She had seen the shadows in his eyes. Felt him pull away and then back again, as if he struggled with something darker.

  Like a glutton for punishment, she slid her gaze toward the dance floor just as the music stopped. Her throat tightened when the dark-haired woman went on her tiptoes, throwing her arms around Clancy’s neck. She pulled him down to her and the air in Tess’s chest seized. Her pulse sped, heart pounding.

  Please, don’t kiss her. Even as the thought invaded her mind she chastised herself. She had no right—

  “You’re the only woman Clancy has ever wanted to get close to.”

  “What?” Tess snapped her head toward Jessie, choking “Me?” before her riveted gaze returned to the dance floor just in time to see the dark-haired beauty’s lips touch Clancy’s.

  The sudden onslaught of emotions left Tess feeling like a leaf in a windstorm being tossed asunder. She couldn’t breathe, not until he jerked back and put some distance between him and the woman’s plump, red lips. But the hussy only laughed, looking up through sultry, long lashes, as she dragged a long fingernail down his chest.

  “See?” Jessie hummed behind Tess, sending chills up her spine. “You confuse him. Thrill him. You make him forget himself. But I see the longing in his eyes for love. A family. You.”

  “It’s not that easy.” Nothing was easy. With a knot in her throat, Tess watched the woman standing before Clancy lean into him, her sexy body rubbing against his.

  “It’s not supposed to be. You have to fight for what you want. Do you want him?”

  “Yes,” she hissed, before she realized it.

  “Then let him know before he makes a mistake. Becky won’t stop until she’s in his bed tonight. Is that what you want?”

  Without further thought, Tess got to her feet.

  “Not tonight.” As they stood in the middle of the empty makeshift dance floor, Clancy attempted one more time to discreetly break Rebecca Allen’s hold, but she was having none of it and clung to his waist.

  “Please.” She looked up at him through lowered lashes.

  He had to give it to the sexy brunette. She was persistent. But going home with her tonight or even slipping into the barn for a quickie as she had suggested earlier just didn’t interest him. Only one woman was on his mind, and if he couldn’t have Tess tonight—he didn’t want anyone.

  “Clancy?” When he heard her sweet voice, he thought he imagined it. But when he glanced over his shoulder, Tess stood behind him. Her eyes never left his as she stepped even closer. “You promised me a dance.”

  Becky cleared her throat. Cocking a brow, her grasp on him tightened. She dragged a slow, indifferent gaze over Tess, who returned one of her own that shocked the living hell out of him.

  Tess couldn’t be jealous. Still, the thought sent warmth through his veins that heated his body. He parted his lips to make introductions when Jessie sauntered up.

  “Becky.” She wedged herself between the brunette and Clancy, forcing her to release him. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Any chance you’d help me bring out the desserts?”

  “I— Clancy— I mean, we were just thinking of leaving.” She stared helplessly at Clancy, but she was on her own.

  “Nonsense. You can’t leave now.” Jessie scooped Becky’s hand in hers. “C’mon. I heard Wade’s mother made her special pie.” With a tug, she led the reluctant woman away, but not before they both looked back.

  Becky frowned. Jessie winked.

  Clancy slid his gaze to Tess. “What was that about?”

  “I…” she shifted nervously, “made a mistake earlier.”

  “Mistake?”

  “I want to see where this thing between us leads.”

  His chest thickened with emotion, and he was afraid to believe what he was hearing. “You realize what you’re saying?”

  She released an uneasy chuckle. “Not really. But I’m willing to give it a try.”

  In front of everyone he pulled her into his arms. His heart skipped a beat when she went willingly. As he lost himself in the depth of her blue eyes, the band struck up another tune and people began to join them on the dance floor. There was so much they needed to talk about. Then someone bumped into him.

  “See, the way this thing called dancing works is that you move your feet and the lovely lady follows.” Ty tipped his hat as he flashed Tess a roguish grin. “Let me show you how it’s done.” He reached for her, but Clancy eased them around so that his body blocked the man’s grasp.

  “I think I can handle this by myself.” The note of possessiveness in his voice didn’t escape him as well as his friend.

  Ty placed a palm over his heart. His expression fell, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. “I’m hurt.” He paused for a moment, but Clancy knew it was only for effect. Then the cowboy leaned in to Tess and whispered, “It sounds as if our brief threesome has become a twosome.”

  “You heard right.” Clancy released Tess long enough to gather her hand in his. “C’mon. We’re getting out of here.” He couldn’t wait to taste her lips, hold her in his arms unrestricted from wandering eyes.

  “I can’t.” She quickly scanned the crowd, locating her siblings who had just arrived. “I can’t leave them behind.”

  “Levi can drive them home.”

  “But—”

  “You can call them from the truck.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Home.” Damn. His footsteps faltered. He couldn’t take a woman to his house. Not with a child just down the hall.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Julie.”

  Tess’s eyes widened. “Julie?”

  “Now, darlin’, it’s not what you think.” He gave her hand a squeeze and urged her forward. “Julie is Milo’s daughter. The courts gave him temporary custody and he needed a place for them to stay. I couldn’t let the child sleep in the bunkhouse with the rest of the hands, so they moved into my house until he finds other lodgings and daycare.”

  “Milo is a friend of yours?”

  “He works for me.” Clancy unlocked his truck and opened the passenger-side door, stepping aside.

  Tess climbed in. “Where’s her mother?”

  He didn’t answer her immediately. Instead he hurried around the vehicle and slid behind the wheel. “Last I saw she was slinging insults, accusations and threats in Amarillo.” With a twist of the key, the engine roared to life.

  “So this is a good thing?”

  “Milo’s a good man. Loves his daughter. God help him, I think he still loves his wife.” Ranching and being faithful to one man wasn’t what Debbie envisioned. She had bigger plans. Plans that had included charming Clancy, but he had been quick to set her straight. His only regret was that Milo had been blind to her promiscuous ways. “She took every penny he had and ran off with their two-year-old daughter. He’s been looking for them for six months. When we found them, Debbie was out of work, living in a broken-down travel trailer with no air conditioning. Nearly broke Milo’s heart.”

  He fought the anger that resurfaced as he remembered the day they had walked into that sordid neighborhood and found the child. Julie had been hungry, dirty and unkempt. Her beautiful brown hair a nest of knots. But the smile she gave Milo when she saw him had melted Clancy’s heart. What he would give to have a child of his own look at him that way.

  “So you helped him?”

  Clancy shrugged. “For right now, the two of us will take care of Julie.” What else could he do? He would make damn sure Milo had what he needed to raise Julie the right way.

  When Tess touched his thigh, he turned toward her. “Why don’t we go to my house? Levi and the girls won’t be home for a while.”

  The tenderness in the way she looked at him made his chest tighten. “You sure?”

  She smiled softly. “Absolutely.”

  For the rest of the drive, a comfortable silence filled the space between them, something that had ne
ver happened with another woman. Instead, anticipation prickled across his skin, stirred his blood. He couldn’t wait to make love to Tess, this time with no third-party intervention. The thought made his cock tighten. By the time he maneuvered his truck in front of her house and eased to a stop, a full-blown hard-on pressed against his jeans.

  He glanced at her and she returned his heated gaze. Without words, both of them reached for the door handle at the same time. The second they were outside, facing each other, he pulled her into his arms. Warm and willing, she softened against him, her arms snaking around his neck. Flutters erupted low in his belly, and he was achingly aware of every inch of her beautiful body. He smoothed a palm down her back, pausing just above her ass to ease her closer and inhale the sweet fragrance that was uniquely Tess.

  She felt so right, so perfect.

  “Kiss me,” she whispered in his ear, setting his heart to pound.

  A groan rose in his throat. He tilted his head and sealed his mouth over hers in a gentle caress. When he nudged the seam of her lips, she parted them, sighing, as he dipped inside.

  Good God. She tasted like heaven.

  For a few seconds more, he reveled in her moist heat, drinking in her essence. When the kiss erupted into a burning passion, he couldn’t restrain another growl from erupting. He cupped the mounds of her ass, lifting her off her feet, needing to get closer.

  “I want you. Now.”

  She locked her ankles around his waist. “Let’s go inside.”

  With hastened steps, he carried her to the front door, then released her so that she slid slowly down his body, rubbing against his throbbing arousal. As he gazed down upon her, her lips were a temptation he couldn’t pass up. She met him halfway, their mouths fusing together, nearly knocking off his hat in the process.

  “Damn, darlin’,” was all he could say as he leaned in for one more kiss.

  “Key,” she moaned.

  “What?” He nibbled on her bottom lip and she mewled.

  “I need to get the key.” Stepping out of his arms, she moved toward a potted plant sitting on the porch, tipped it slightly, and retrieved the key beneath. She barely got the door open before he slid past her, grabbing her hand to lead her inside and back into his embrace. As the door closed behind them, he blanketed her mouth with his.

  Lord, what was wrong with him?

  He couldn’t stand to let her go for even a moment. Something in his head registered that this hold she had on him wasn’t good, but then she stroked his tongue with lush slides of her own before trapping him in her mouth and sucking with gentle pulls. That’s when all rational thought disappeared.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tess fell into Clancy’s embrace, feeling every hot, hard inch of his body against hers. She hungered for his kiss, his touch. When their mouths met in a blaze of fiery heat, the key slipped, pinging against the wooden floor. Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt.

  The fervor of his caresses stole her breath, made her mind spin as her breasts became heavy with desire. When he shoved his hands beneath her shirt, skin stroking skin, a sting radiated through each nipple, spreading like wildfire throughout her tender globes. As his palms moved upward to skim the underside of her bra, her knees weakened, moisture pooling between her thighs.

  Yes. This is what she longed for—needed.

  The click of the door shutting startled her back to reality. She jerked away, only to discover he had given the door a kick to close them off from the rest of the world.

  “Sorry.” His mouth curved into a slow, heart-stopping smile that melted her heart. Without pause, she returned to where she belonged—in his arms.

  His warm breath danced across her skin as he strung kisses down her throat to the hollow of a shoulder blade. “Too many clothes.” When he glanced up at her, his gaze darkened and his voice lowered to a rough timbre. “I need you naked.”

  His sensual command and the heady pheromones he emitted made her giddy, high on what the night promised. A surge of arousal tightened the flesh between her legs, forcing her eyes closed. But a cool breeze from her shirt rising swept across her abdomen and encouraged her heavy eyelids to flicker open. The intent expression on Clancy’s face as he eased her shirt farther up and over her head before he tossed the garment aside, sent her heart racing.

  For a moment he only stared at her exposed flesh as if in awe. Then he moaned, “You’re so beautiful.”

  He made her feel beautiful and needy. Without hesitation, she reached behind her and unfastened her bra. Shrugging out of the satin and lace, she watched as his eyes darkened even more.

  “Now you.” She dragged her gaze slowly up his rock-hard body, until their eyes met again in a heated exchange.

  His black Stetson was the first to go as he set it on the credenza against the wall. It looked like his hands trembled as his fingers fumbled with the buttons of his cotton cowboy shirt. Never once did he draw his eyes off of hers. She wanted him so badly that she reached out to finish the task. Pushing the shirt from his broad shoulders, she exposed an impressive chest, bulging biceps and sexy jeans slung low around his hips. Then he slid his tongue between his lips in an action so sensual her heart thudded.

  What was it about him that made her breathless, made her want to throw caution to the wind? To take a calculated risk on a man who could ruin her reputation, and worse, break her heart if he walked away?

  “I love it when you look at me that way,” he said.

  “What way—” Her breath caught as he caressed her cheek with his knuckles.

  “Like you want to eat me.”

  Tess couldn’t help it, her gaze dropped to the bulge in his jeans and her mouth began to salivate. She reached for him, tucked her fingertips in the front of his waistband and pulled him to her. He moved the small distance between them willingly. A heartbeat passed before she began to unfasten his buckle, belt and then the button. As she tugged on his zipper, the metal hissed, heating her blood.

  God, this sexy cowboy did it for her—made her horny as hell.

  Hooking her thumbs on each side of his pants and skivvies, she inched them down, exposing him, as she dropped to her jeans-covered knees in the process.

  “I can’t lie.” She smiled up to him. “Eating you sounds delicious.”

  Dragging her fingernails up his muscular thighs, she took his hand in hers to guide his middle finger into her mouth. As she suckled, easing the digit in and out, she moaned, thinking of their bodies intimately connected. Cheeks hollow, she made a popping sound as she released his finger.

  “Mmmm…” Tess hummed and closed her hand firmly around his cock. She stroked once, twice, and then twisted gently.

  He inhaled sharply, but didn’t say a word. Instead there was a dangerous growl to his voice as he stabbed his fingers through her hair, urging her head and mouth closer.

  Something about the way he took control made her pulse beat faster. Breathless, she let him guide her until the bulbous head of his erection rested against her lips. Through feathered lashes, she looked up again. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

  His nostrils flared and that sandpapery rumble erupted in his throat again. His grasp on her hair tightened and he pulled with enough aggression to stroke the flame burning inside her.

  Inhaling, she dragged his earthy scent deep into her lungs, and then her lips parted and she licked a leisurely path from root to tip. All she could think of was velvet over steel.

  His pupils dilated as he watched his cock slide into her warm and anxious mouth. A stream of air hissed from between his clenched teeth and he grew impossibly harder, longer.

  “Ahhh…muhhh…gawwdd.”

  His nearly unintelligible words shot a thrill from her mouth to her nipples to her pussy. She clenched her thighs together, attempting to ward off the edginess developing. Instead she turned her attention to the heavy veins that coursed his length. Flattening her tongue along them, she paid homage to those areas that elicited a slight quiver and groan from h
im. Then with long, lavish licks, she caressed the underside of the crest of his erection. A strangled sound rose in his throat that made a smile tease the corner of her mouth.

  And then it hit her.

  This cowboy could have anyone he wanted and he wanted her. Not to share like his other affairs, but for his very own. The thought fueled her excitement, sending chills up her spine. She inhaled through her nose and his musk filled her senses, clouding her thoughts.

  A flick of her tongue over the small slit and the taste of his salty sweet fluid made her want even more. Working her mouth down him, she lightly scraped her teeth along his shaft, licking and sucking the sensitive membrane of his frenulum. Then she placed a kiss upon the top.

  His head fell back as his breathing hitched. “Damn, woman.” It took several seconds for him to inhale again. Then he leveled his hot gaze on her. “Fuck me, baby. Deep. Hard.”

  Hair tangled in his fingers, he drew her head back and drove his hips once again against her lips. He slid so far into her mouth that she almost choked, but recovered quickly. Once again she focused on breathing through her nose. As her saliva gathered in her mouth, she swallowed around him. The throaty sounds he released urged her onward.

  As her head bobbed, she guided her hand up and down his cock, squeezing and releasing, while she cupped his balls with her other hand. They were heavy and big in her palm, drawing up as she tickled and rolled them between her fingers.

  “Tess.” His voice was a guttural rasp. She was determined to bring him to climax, sliding her mouth up and down him, but he had other thoughts when he groaned, “God. Stop.”

  She whimpered around his cock, too far gone to heed his plea.