Lace & Lassos

by Cheyenne McCray

  Wayne kept his eyes on the road. “Lets talk about something else, Kaitlyn Barrett.”

  Fair enough. They both had things they didn’t like to talk about. But she intended to ask him about it again sometime.

  The closer they came to her ranch, the more the thought of going home to the empty house stirred a sense of loneliness inside her and she swallowed. “I don’t want to go home yet.” The words had come out before she could stop them. “I’d like to see your place.”

  Wayne glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. She couldn’t read his expression as he said, “All right.”

  Butterflies flipped around in her belly and she wondered what in the world she was doing. Just going to see Wayne’s new place…was that all?

  When she studied him, his jaw looked tense. She wondered why and almost told him to take her to her house and drop her off.

  She turned and stared out the window in the direction of her own ranch. The porch light was on and she could see her house beyond the grassland, a quarter-mile down from the gate. She’d left other lights on and light spilled from windows as if someone was home.

  Her hand was resting in her lap. Wayne reached over and took her hand in his. He squeezed. “You doing okay?” he asked.

  The feel of his hand over hers sent warmth and more butterflies through her. She linked her fingers with his. “Great,” she said softly. “I’m doing great.”

  And for tonight she was. She refused to think of anything but spending some time with Wayne. Maybe they’d just have a drink of iced tea. Maybe more.

  When they’d gone a couple of miles past her home, she saw the Johnson Ranch—or the Diamond K as he now called it. When they reached the gate, the headlights illuminated the diamond brand with a K at the center.

  The tires thrummed over the cattle guard as they passed through the open gates of Wayne’s ranch. Her stomach flip-flopped and she swallowed down her nervousness. Why was she here? She should have Wayne turn around right now and take her home.

  Floodlights came on, illuminating the yard as they drove up. He pulled the truck up to the two-story ranch house that had belonged to the Johnsons for as long as she could remember. And now Wayne owned it.

  After he parked, he climbed out, grabbed his western hat and put it back on. He’d always insisted on being a gentleman, and out of long ingrained habit she waited for him to come around to her side of the truck and then help her out.

  “Come on.” He smiled and took her hand. “I’ll show you around the house. We’ll have to wait until you’re here in the daylight to show you the rest of the place.”

  She nodded. She could see dark hulking buildings including the barn and the corrals, but nothing more. The murmur of cattle and the soft whinny of a horse came from that direction.

  “When did you buy this place?” she asked as they walked toward the house.

  “After I returned from Afghanistan.” His expression darkened a little and she had the feeling it was something that he really didn’t like to talk about.

  Still she asked, “That’s where you injured your knee?”

  “Yep.” He nodded. “Put an end to that career.”

  “You don’t walk with a limp.” She glanced down. “Which knee?”

  “The right.” He released her hand. “It acts up a bit depending on the weather, but for the most part it’s fine, just not good enough for a Green Beret. I was one of the lucky ones though.”

  She looked up at him. “What was it like being a Green Beret?”

  “Best thing I ever did besides stopping drinking.” He paused mid-step. “And meeting you,” he said softly. Then he turned and continued walking. “Special Forces made me grow up… Changed me. It helped in so many ways and allowed me to give back to my country.”

  They reached the porch and she saw that the once peeling and chipped old paint had been removed and a new coat of paint applied over sanded wood—it looked like the entire house had been redone in white with forest green trim and accents.

  “Our daddy did well with the ranch and when he died he took care of us kids,” Wayne said. “I didn’t want to be like the Cartwrights and have a bunch of us living together. That’s for TV. So I bought this place. I know how fortunate I am.”

  “It looks great.” She let her free hand slide up the smooth dark green painted rail of the staircase as they walked up to the front door. “It looks like you’ve restored the old place.”

  “There are more projects around the ranch,” he said, “But for the most part the house is finished.”

  She smiled up at him. “You always were good with your hands.”

  He gave her a sexy grin. “Is that right?”

  She lightly slapped his shoulder. “You know what I mean.” Then she gave him a look from beneath her lashes. “But you really are good with your hands—in every way I can imagine.”

  The look he gave her was enough to make thrills roll through her body. She wasn’t just playing with fire. She was starting a wild fire.

  Steps creaked as she and Wayne walked up and then their shoes hit the porch. His boots made solid thumps against the wood as he moved toward the door. The screen door gave only a little squeak when he opened it and then he unlocked the door and held it open to let her into the house.

  It was dark inside. He flipped on the light and she looked around the room. “It’s beautiful,” she said as she looked at the polished wood floor, the casual, masculine oak furniture with cushions in shades of brown and cream.

  Western art decorated the walls and rested on some of the surfaces. A large-screen TV took up a good portion of the wall on the far right. He took off his western hat and plopped it on a coatrack to the right of the door. He took her jacket and hung it on the rack along with his own.

  “That must be great to watch the Diamondbacks and Cardinals on,” she said as she looked back at him. “You always did love your sports.”

  “That I do.” He took her hand and she loved the feel of his fingers holding hers tight. “Down that hall are my workout room and the guest bathroom.” He gestured straight ahead from the door. Then he jerked his thumb to the left. “Through here is the kitchen and the stairs to the second level.”

  He led her past a set of stairs and into a modern kitchen with a dining nook. The kitchen walls were a warm shade of taupe that was almost peach. The cabinets were oak and the appliances including the fridge, stove, and dishwasher, was stainless steel. Everything shone and there was no mess anywhere.

  “I love it all,” she said and gave him a quick grin. “I don’t remember you ever being this neat.”

  “Everything had to be kept spotless and perfect in the service,” he said. “That sort of stuck with me.”

  “You’d be handy to have around,” she said before she thought better of it. She covered it up by saying, “What do you charge by the hour for Wayne’s Cleaning Service?”

  He grinned down at her. “Depends on the client.” He kept a grip on her hand and led her further into the kitchen. On the right was a set of stairs leading down. “I’m still working on the basement,” he said. “I plan to finish it off and make it a game room, including a billiards table, foosball, and darts. Of course some nice comfy couches and a TV along with a fridge filled with junk food and sodas.”

  She laughed. “Sounds like fun.”

  “That’s where the laundry room is.” He gestured at the vents. “Installed central heating and air conditioning recently.”

  “Nice.” She looked around them. “Beautiful, homey, and all of the necessities.”

  “Do you want to take a look upstairs?” he said, his voice suddenly low and uncertain, like he was afraid to ask her.

  “What do you have there?” Her belly flipped as she asked the question. “Other than the master bedroom.”

  “My office and a guest room.”

  Warmth crept through her body. “I’d love to see everything.”

  He squeezed her hand and led her to the stairs. St
eps creaked as they walked up and her heart beat faster as they neared the top of the stairs. He ignored the door to the left and instead led her through an open door on the right.

  Oak office furniture filled the room. An antique roll-top desk, a regular desk with a red leather chair behind it, three book cases and two oak filing cabinets. There was more cowboy art in here and she loved the old fashioned framed art of cowboys sitting around a fire in one, cowboys herding cattle in another, and a third with a cowboy and his horse drinking from a stream.

  On his desktop were a couple of pictures of the Cameron family posing together and an old black and white of his parents, taken several years before they’d died. “Once Zane and Jessie start having kids,” Wayne said, “I intend to have pictures of the nieces and nephews right here, too.”

  He led her out of the office and down to the end of the hall. To the right was the guest bathroom and to the left was the guestroom. He showed her the guestroom, which had simple furniture including a bed with a patchwork quilt, a footlocker at the foot of the bed, and a bureau up against the wall to the left of the bed.

  When they left the room, he took her back to the head of the stairs and to the closed door on the left. The knob squeaked a little as he turned it and let them into a large bedroom. She walked at his side, nerves making her suddenly feel jittery.

  “Master bedroom,” he said as he flipped on a light switch, even though she knew what it was.

  The low lighting was from a pair of lamps on nightstands to either side of a king-sized bed with a big brown and cream comforter. A dresser with a big vanity mirror was on one wall with a bureau on another wall. There was a TV inside an armoire that had drawers beneath it. To the far right was a door that obviously led into the master bathroom.

  “I wish my house was half this neat.” It was the only thing she could think of to say. Her gaze met his. “I love your home.”

  The next thing she knew, she was in his arms. “And I love having you in my home.” His voice was low, deep, and thrills rolled through her.

  A part of her said she should turn and run. That this was too much, too soon. But another part of her wanted what he could give her. What they could share.

  She closed her eyes and let him hold her close, their bodies snug together. She breathed in his scent, letting it fill her completely.

  When she opened her eyes, her gaze met his. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer until their lips met and she kissed him.

  Chapter 4

  The kiss was more powerful than the one Wayne had given her at the party. This one was filled with years of longing and need so intense that she didn’t know if she’d ever catch her breath.

  Kaitlyn slid her hands into his hair, loving the soft strands slipping through her fingers and the feel of his scalp beneath her fingertips. She moved her hands down his neck and over his shoulders that were hard and muscular beneath her palms.

  He kept her pressed up against him and she felt his erection against her belly. She ached between her thighs and she suddenly wanted her clothes off and to strip his away. She wanted to feel the heat of his naked skin against hers.

  Their relationship had always been so sexually charged once they started having a physical relationship. They had matched each other in the depths of their desire and sexuality. She’d never felt anything with any man like she had with him. Not that her sexual experiences were extensive. She’d had all of three including Wayne and her ex.

  Wayne kissed her even harder and she made soft sounds of want and need as she moved her hands down and explored his chest with her palms. He had held her by her waist but was now gripping her ass, pulling her impossibly closer to him. He raised her up and she wrapped her thighs around his hips and moved her arms around his neck again and he was carrying her to the bed.

  The comforter was soft against her back and the mattress dipped beneath their combined weight as he rolled her onto her side so that they were facing each other. He kissed her then moved his lips to the corner of her mouth then moved them to her ear where he nipped her earlobe. She gasped with pleasure as it sent tingles through her body.

  A part of her held back. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be doing this. Not with all that was going on in her life… Not with all that had gone on.

  But another part of her needed this. Needed to feel alive again. Needed to feel closeness to another person that she hadn’t experienced for a long, long time.

  She let everything slip away and let herself fall into being with Wayne. Being with him completely for the night where she wouldn’t think of the past.

  Not for tonight.

  He moved his fingertips from the hollow of her throat, down to the curve of her breast and then cupped it in his big hand. He pinched her nipple and she caught her breath as pleasure shot through her.

  Her hand traveled down his belly, down his taut abs to the belt buckle covering the button of his jeans. She made a sound of frustration as she worked to undo the buckle and his belt. He kissed her again and slid his hand down from her breast to help her.

  When his jeans were unbuttoned she pulled down the zipper then slid her fingers inside his boxer briefs and wrapped her hand around his cock. He sucked in his breath and groaned as she gripped it tight.

  He brought his fingers to the buttons of her blouse and even one-handed was able to undo them easily. He moved her blouse aside and pulled down the cup of her bra. He adjusted himself so that he could lower his head and capture her nipple in his warm mouth.

  She gasped then moaned at the exquisite sensation of him licking and sucking her nipple and she squirmed against him.

  With a groan he pushed her onto her back and moved so that he was slightly above her. Her wet nipple felt cool in the air as the warmth of his mouth left it.

  He brushed hair away from her face looking down at her with an expression of tenderness. “You are so beautiful, Kait.”

  She didn’t want to talk. She wanted him to kiss her again. He seemed to hear her thoughts and he began kissing her again before moving his mouth over her face and down the curve of her neck to the hollow of her throat.

  He pushed her blouse completely apart then pulled down the other side of her bra, releasing her breast and she caught her breath as he moved his mouth from one nipple to the other.

  “So soft,” he murmured as he nuzzled between her breasts. “You’re so soft.”

  And he was so hard. She loved the feel of his erection in her palm. He started to move down her body and his cock slipped from her hand as he kissed a trail down her abdomen until he reached her bellybutton. He dipped his tongue inside and it sent an erotic thrill straight from her belly to between her thighs.

  He unbuttoned her Levis and slid the zipper down then kissed the soft spot above her mound through her silky hot pink panties. She watched him as he smoothed his hands down her thighs to her athletic shoes and tugged each one of them off before tossing them aside. They hit the wood floor with hard thumps. He slipped each one of her socks off and dropped them before straightening and toeing off each of his boots and removing his own socks.

  Her heart pounded in her throat and she swallowed as he eased back up the bed and grasped the waistband of her jeans and began pulling them over her hips, down her thighs until they were off.

  He took her by her hands and drew her so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She felt lightheaded as she looked up at him and he pushed her pink blouse away from her shoulders and she let it fall down her arms to her elbows. He helped her slip the blouse away from her arms and took it from her. She was left in her pink bra and her pink silk panties.

  The ache at the juncture of her thighs intensified as he knelt between her knees. He reached behind her and unfastened her bra before letting it drop to the floor. His eyes were so blue she felt like she could get lost in them as his gaze met his. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her to him in a kiss that caused her to shudder with desire.

  He caressed h
er body with gentle touches of his hands before he hooked his fingers in her panties and slid them down. She had to rise up just a little so that he could pull them completely off.

  When they were off he pushed her onto her back again then knelt between her legs and pushed her thighs apart with his palms on her knees. Any thoughts that might have been in her mind vanished as he moved his mouth closer to that place between her thighs that ached for him.

  Her breath caught in her throat as he stroked the short blond curls of her mound with his fingertips. She swallowed and her gaze met his as he lowered his head and ran his tongue along her folds then gasped and arched her hips as pleasure rushed through her. She grew wetter and the ache stronger as he licked her clit, teasing it with his lips and tongue.

  Her fingers gripped the comforter so hard that they ached and she writhed and squirmed as he made sounds of satisfaction. He slid his palms beneath her ass and raised her up so that he could bury his face more fully against her.

  An orgasm was moving closer and closer and she didn’t think she was going to be able to breathe if she didn’t come soon. Her breath came in quick, harsh gasps and she almost felt like she was hyperventilating.

  Heat rushed through her mind and her entire body started to tingle. “Wayne.” His name came from her throat on a gasp. “Please, Wayne.”

  She grasped the comforter even tighter as he made a low growling sound and slipped two fingers inside her core and started moving them in and out. He pumped his fingers harder as he licked her clit and mewling sounds rose from her throat.

  Her climax stayed just out of reach and she squirmed, aching to come, wanting more of what he was giving her. As his fingers thrust in and out of her, she pictured his cock there instead. Thick and big it would fill her like it had so many times before.

  It seemed as though her head grew lighter as tension wound in her belly and her groin. It became so intense she didn’t think she was going to survive an orgasm when it finally came.