Cowboy Payback

by Donna Michaels

  She finally released his face to let her hands in on the action, touching, stroking any bit of hot flesh her fingers could find.

  His fingers snaked under her top to stroke her ribs, stopping just under her bra. She moaned and arched up, unable to prevent pure need from taking over. If it wasn’t for lack of oxygen, she would’ve encouraged the embrace to go on forever, but when he drew back to drag in air, she did the same, working on clearing the fog from her brain.

  “Sorry, Trisha,” he said, sitting up way too far away for her liking. “I didn’t mean to let things get so out of hand.” He scrubbed a palm over his face and shook his head. “Seems I have little control around you.”

  Seven words never sounded so good. She sat up and looked him in the eyes. “Same with me.”

  Satisfaction warmed his gaze, but he made no move to touch her. Darn it. He was being heroic, again. Holding back. Putting her feelings first.

  Again.

  It wasn’t her feelings she wanted him to worry about, so she grasped the hem of her shirt, yanked the tank top over her head, and tossed it at him.

  “Jesus…what are you doing?”

  He twisted her shirt in both hands and swallowed, his gaze glued to the ice blue bra she’d deliberately worn in case they decided to get naked. It made her large boobs look perky.

  “I hope I’m giving your conscience a good reason to take a leave of absence for the weekend.”

  “You are. Two very gorgeous, big reasons.”

  “Good.” She smiled and reached behind her for the clasp.

  His jaw dropped. “Wait,” he ordered as his hand shot out in a stopping gesture.

  She halted and narrowed her gaze. “Why? You want to take it off me?”

  “What? No…yeah…I mean no! Look, would you just wait. We need to talk.”

  She lowered her arms and sighed. “No, Brett, talking is the last thing we need to do.” And the last thing she wanted to do. “I don’t want to talk about our deployment.” Or all the crap in her head, eating at her, festering inside for months now. “I want a break from the darkness. You make me feel good. I just want to feel good.” She wanted to explore the paradise she’d glimpsed every time the man touched her and kissed her. He took her out of herself, made her feel whole again.

  That was what she wanted.

  To feel whole again.

  He shifted closer and reached for her hand. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  A smile tugged at her lips as she dropped her gaze to the delectable bulge visible behind his zipper. “Why? Are you that big?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re too much.”

  “Perfect. Then you should fit fine.”

  His fingers tightened around hers. “That’s not what I meant. You’re a good friend, and I care about you. I just don’t want you assuming things if we have sex. This ranch is my wife. I’m married to it. I’m not looking for a relationship.”

  “Good. Neither am I.” She held up her left hand and flexed her ring finger. “I know this ring is fake. I already told you I’m not looking for a relationship, either. A temporary fling while I’m here the next five weeks is a different story.”

  “Fling?” His brow arched.

  “Yeah, you know, good sex. Occasional conversation. Companionable meals. Strenuous work. More good sex.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, then released her hand and stood.

  Why was he standing?

  They’d just agreed to have sex, and she was half-naked, shouldn’t he be kissing the bejesus out of her?

  Instead, he pivoted on his heel and headed for his gear sitting a few yards away.

  Maybe she heard wrong.

  Trisha rose to her feet and followed the confusing man. “You did say okay, right?”

  “Yes,” he answered without looking at her, removing his sleeping bag from his pack before standing to face her. “This is a lot better than the ground for that beautiful skin of yours.”

  “Oh.” The ground wasn’t all that hard, but his concern for her was sweet. She blinked like an idiot, and by the time his compliment and words sank in, he had the sleeping bag spread out, his boots and socks by her discarded shirt, and the sexiest darn grin on his face.

  “Now…about that good sex,” he said, yanking his shirt off and tossing it as he drew near, freeing muscles and ridges, and a mouthwatering V she’d longed to touch and lick and stroke for far too long.

  Anticipation accelerated her pulse. “Yes?”

  Stopping in front of her, he trailed his fingers up her arms as he held her gaze. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Still looking out for her…

  “Yes,” she said, a slow smile tugging her lips. “Sir. I’m sure…sir. So very sure, sir.”

  Heat flamed in his eyes a second before he grasped her shoulders and his mouth came down on hers for a scorching, hungry kiss that had her shaking with need inside of a second.

  She let out a little hum of pleasure and wrapped her arms around his neck. Even better, her mind filtered in the thought. Flesh to flesh, he felt even better than she ever imagined. And his lips? He was thorough and consuming, and so dang giving. God, she could kiss him forever. His hands ran up and down her back in slow, almost unbearably erotic caresses that had her squirming against him.

  Mistaking the squirming as a need for air, he released her lips to spread kisses across her shoulder. “I think we need to clear up a misconception,” he said against her skin, then grazed his teeth over the curve of her neck before he bit behind her ear.

  A gasp ripped up her throat, and she swore it was the strength from her legs exiting her body, because she was instantly weak kneed. She clutched at his hips in an attempt to remain standing and hold on to her sanity, knowing if she touched his bare skin again, she was a goner.

  “Wh-what misconception?”

  He drew back, fingers hooking under her bra straps as he smiled down at her. “That we’re going to have good sex,” he replied, pulling the blue lace down her arms, his gaze darkening as he reached behind her for the hook and freed her aching breasts. When the bra fell to the ground, his inhale cooled the air between them.

  “We’re not going to have sex?” she asked, confused by his words when his actions promised the opposite.

  His gaze lifted to meet hers, and she nearly joined her bra in a clump at his feet. Grasping his hips again, she could feel the fierce hunger smoldering in his eyes shake right through him.

  “Trust me, Trisha, we are going to have sex,” he stated, cupping her face with both hands. “But it’s going to be a hell of a lot better than just good.”

  With that delicious promise, he brought his mouth down on hers for another hot, demanding, frenzied kiss she’d desperately craved.

  They both did, judging by the sexy, male sound he made in his throat when the hard, smooth planes of his chest brushed her peaked nipples. She moaned, slid her hands up his back, and pulled him in closer, lost in the feel of his muscles rippling under her touch.

  He was incredible and real, and she absorbed his heat, relished his heat. Really loved his heat, and the fact he was so big and hard. Everywhere. Including those deliciously calloused hands moving slow, too dang slow as they left her face and inched up her sides, starting at her waist, brushing over her ribs to just under her breasts.

  In what seemed like forever, his palms finally made contact with her nipples. She let out a low, needy sound that almost embarrassed her, but then he captured the tips between his fingers and thumbs, and oh God…yeah, shafts of heat shot straight to her middle.

  He broke the kiss and smiled. “Like that?”

  “Yes,” she replied, breath hitched, body shaking.

  “Me, too.” He dipped down and caught one in his mouth, and she shamelessly grasped his head and arched into him in another show of need.

  She didn’t care. Maybe later, but right now, only the incredible sensations he was creating in her body mattered. He released her nipple, his breathing uneasy
and heavy, gaze hooded and heated, he was so hard and male she nearly lost it just gazing at him.

  “Whatever you’re thinking right now, hold that thought,” he said, quickly stripping out of the rest of his clothes before sweeping her up in his arms.

  So fast. Too fast—she barely had time to gawk at his impressive erection, the one that had just been pressed against her all hard and teasing. Then he set her on the sleeping bag and leaned over her to capture her mouth for another of his drugging kisses as his hand ran down her breast, over her quivering belly to unhook her pants. When he drew back, she sucked in air and was working on finding at least one brain cell left in her head as he tugged her cargos to her feet.

  She lifted up on her elbows and watched him, all toned, and beautiful as he removed her boots and socks, then pants. His gaze met hers, and if possible, heated further a second before he lowered his lips to her ankle and blazed a trail of kisses right up to the blue lace on her hips.

  “Lift up,” he ordered, then grasped her panties and tugged them all the way off, leaving her as naked and exposed as him. “Gorgeous.” He kissed a path up her other leg, lingering at her inner thigh.

  Trisha squirmed again, needing, wanting something just out of reach. Then his mouth closed over her aching center and another needy sound left her throat as she grasped his head and rocked into him. “Brett…”

  He answered by licking. She replied by bucking and holding onto his head tight. Dang, he was a master, doing things with his tongue that had her eyes rolling back in her head as she panted his name.

  Then he stopped. Left her hanging, and she was about to protest, but she soon forgave him as his lips and hands found her breasts, bringing his sweet brand of torture to her tight peaks. When he drew a bud inside his mouth and pulled the other with his finger and thumb, she grasped his hips and rocked up, mewling at the feel of his hard length pushing against her center.

  He released her and uttered a curse. “You trying to kill me?’

  “No.” She smiled, and using his momentary lapse in control, she flipped him onto his back and kissed a path across his defined pecs, grazing his nipples with her teeth.

  He muttered another curse and made to grab her, but she pushed his hands away.

  “My turn,” she said, lifting her head to stare at him. He was so dang gorgeous, eyes dark with hunger and frustration. “Your turn to lie there and take it.”

  Without waiting for his reply, she put her mouth back on his skin and slowly made her way down his torso, tasting and licking all the way to that delicious, distracting V of his, finally exploring and touching the terrain that had fueled her fantasies all week long.

  The man was a smorgasbord of yummy. She nipped and kissed tight abs, hard and quivering, then dipped her tongue in his belly button, enjoying his colorful vocabulary as she made her way down a happy trail to the promised land. Grasping his thick erection in both hands, she held his smoldering gaze and slowly took him in her mouth.

  Chapter Ten

  “Ah…hell…Trisha…” Brett settled back, eyes closed, face taut, as he gripped the sleeping bag and thrust up into her mouth.

  She took him all the way in and hummed. A second later, she was flat on her back, staring up into blazing, desire-laden eyes before his mouth came down on hers in a deliciously rough, fierce kiss. She closed her eyes and moaned at the exquisite pleasure of him laying full out on top of her, all hard, and hot, and throbbing.

  When he broke the kiss to press his lips to her neck, she opened her eyes and inhaled, running her hands down his arms. “Please tell me you have a condom.”

  He drew back, reached for something at the far corner of the sleeping bag, then held up a foil packet.

  She hadn’t even seen him put it there. Dang man had her brain all fuzzy. He ripped the packet open and proceeded to roll on the condom.

  Smiling, she reached out to caress the bulldog tattoo on his bicep. “Good Marine,” she said, running a hand down his taut groin to brush a thumb over his tip.

  He ground out another oath before he leaned over her, kissing her long and deep, his hand cupping her breast, wicked thumb brushing her nipple back and forth until she trembled.

  He broke the kiss and took the peak into his mouth while his hand ran down her belly to stop between her legs and slip a finger inside.

  “Brett.” She rocked against him, heart pounding out of control. “I need…”

  “I know,” he said after drawing back to kneel between her legs. “Me, too.” He positioned his tip at her opening, grasped her hips, and while holding her gaze, he thrust deep inside.

  They both cried out, twin sounds of pure pleasure echoing in the warm, pine-scented breeze.

  “So good,” he said, gaze dark and fierce, face and shoulder muscles taut. “So damn good.” Then he began to move, taking her higher, closer to that wonderful edge she longed to near.

  He filled her completely. Physically. Emotionally. She never experienced anything like it and didn’t want it to end, and yet, she needed to find the release his delicious movements promised.

  “You with me, Trisha?”

  Bodies rocking, sweat glistening, desire mirrored in his gaze.

  “Yes. Don’t stop.”

  He nodded and dipped down to kiss her neck. She clutched at his back, in pleasure overload, panting, touching, caressing. Then he drew back, and changing the angle, he drove deeper inside.

  “Brett…I can’t hold…”

  “Don’t,” he urged, increasing his thrusts, gaze glued to hers. “Let go, Trisha.”

  And like a good marine, she listened to her captain—because it suited her—and gave herself over to the pleasure, falling off that wonderful edge. Wanting to take him with her, she reached out to scrape a nail over his nipple while her other hand cupped his ass and pulled him in tighter.

  He let out the sexiest dang sound she’d ever heard, thrust good and deep, and followed her over with her name on his lips.

  Feeling as if floating near the tops of the spruces a hundred feet up, she finally came back down to her body, relishing the feel of the sexy man slumped over her, hot breath fanning her neck.

  She ran her hands up his sweat-soaked back and sighed. “You were right.”

  “Oh?” He lifted up onto his elbow and stared into her eyes, lazy smile curving his lips. “About what?”

  “The sex between us is a lot better than good.”

  ****

  The sex between him and Trisha was hot. Damn hot. So hot, Brett was surprised the woods hadn’t gone up in flames the past two days. She was fun, adventurous, and uninhibited, and the weekend flew by without his permission. They hiked, swam, rappelled, had great sex, then fell into an exhausted sleep.

  The best damn weekend of his life.

  As he stepped onto his porch with the incredible woman at his side the next day, he had to acknowledge it was the first time ever that the sight of Royal Pines hadn’t warmed his heart. It had signaled the end of their incredible campout.

  Opening the door, he glanced at the beauty removing the pack from her back, and his heart tripped.

  It was all her fault.

  Two days of being inside her sweet curves had messed with his inner wiring. The ranch no longer made the blood rush through his veins. Trisha did. With her soft sighs, hitched breaths, drugging kisses, the woman made him hard with just one, damn, innocent glance. He’d do anything to make her smile. Anything to hear her moaning his name.

  Ah hell.

  He shifted his stance and followed her inside, rock hard again as he shut the door. How had this happened? They’d run out of condoms. Used up the three he’d brought. How could he still have an appetite for the woman? After all their hot sex, she should be out of his system.

  She wasn’t.

  Not by a long shot. Now that he knew how she tasted, discovered the special spots that made her wriggle—and she had great wriggle—he wanted her even more.

  She set her gear by the wall, then turned to him and
smiled. And look at that, the warmth that had been missing a moment ago suddenly rushed through his body, making him feel alive, and wanted. Which he loved. A little too much.

  “I had a great weekend, Brett.” She stepped close to run her hand up his arm, her gorgeous breast brushing his bicep. “Thanks for taking me.”

  He hoped the place had helped her heal a little, too. Maybe find a little peace.

  “Literally.”

  Then there was that.

  He grinned, dropping his gear next to hers before brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. “You’re welcome. And thank you.”

  “Any time.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m glad we’re back, though.”

  “You are? Why?”

  A wicked smile claimed her lips and sent his pulse into orbit. “Because the rest of the condoms are here.”

  Oorah.

  He reached for her, pulling her close, thrilled she came without question, her hands automatically wrapping around his neck. “I like the way you think,” he said before claiming her lips.

  With a soft, sexy whimper, she tightened her grip, that upped his temperature to instant burn. Hot. Very hot. Then her tongue touched his, and he shoved a hand in her hair, cupping her head as desire exploded, deepening the kiss into an intense connection that blew every single, last circuit in his brain.

  She moaned and melted into his body, her fingernails digging painfully into his shoulders. He didn’t care. She could draw blood, as long as she didn’t stop kissing him…that…way…damn.

  “Brett.”

  “I know,” he said, sucking in air as he dipped his head and dragged his mouth down her throat.

  Their chemistry was crazy good, and her body was already hot. He fit one hand low on the curve of her back and slid the other down her leg, lifting it so he could thrust against her. She let out another sexy sound and shifted closer. She was just as lost as he. Her fingers stroked his neck, sending shivers straight to his boots, while her hands traveled south and snuck under his shirt to brush his hard abs.

  He was hard everywhere.