The Right Ranger (The Men of at Ease Ranch)

by Donna Michaels

She stepped out of them and stood before him in lace and black combat boots.

  “Damn, Haley, you’re beautiful.” Fire raced through his veins and he pulsed with need. Still, even in his lust-induced state, he wanted to be sure they were on the same page. “We both know what this is and what this isn’t, right?”

  “Right,” she replied. “We have an expiration date. You’re leaving when this boarding ranch opens.”

  “Exactly.” He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his hips so he could carry her to the kitchen. He set her on the island near the condoms. “We can enjoy ourselves in the meantime.” Skimming his hands down her hot curves, he heard his own groan echo between them. He dipped his head to her breasts, which were now spilling out of her bra.

  Haley’s gasp of pleasure ricocheted through him. He wanted more. Needed more. He indeed knew what this was and what this wasn’t. This wasn’t just for Haley; it was for him, too. He needed to touch her. To feel her. To lose himself inside her, but he also needed to be touched by her, to experience the crazy consuming fire with her. He needed to connect again.

  Cupping both lace-covered breasts, he nuzzled them and trailed kisses to one of the tips budded tight behind the lace. Delectable. He slipped his tongue underneath and rasped over the nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

  “Cord.” She inhaled sharply and held his head in place.

  “Right here,” he murmured against her soft skin as he switched to the other side.

  Her moan rumbled straight through him, making him harder than the granite under her sweet ass. He reached behind her to unhook her bra and tugged it down her arms as he drew back to watch the bounce of sweet freedom. Before he could voice his pleasure, she held his face and leaned closer to kiss his temple, and followed down his cheek to the length of his jaw with soft, sensual, little kisses.

  Next, she tortured him with slow brushes toward his mouth then hovered over his lips, sharing the same air, and he found himself holding his breath. She was killing him. Waiting, anticipating for her to cover his mouth, he remained still, very still, but she touched down on his other cheek, ripping a groan of frustration from his throat.

  “Haley, damn it.” He grasped her upper arms, two seconds away from taking what he wanted. Which also happened to be what he needed—her mouth on his.

  “Hmm?” she murmured against his cheek.

  “Kiss me.”

  She chuckled against his jaw. “So demanding.”

  Before he acted on that want, she captured his mouth for a kiss that rocked his world. The light brushes she’d treated his face to were gone. She thrust her fingers in his hair and ransacked his mind and body with a hungry, demanding, thorough kiss. Her greedy moans reinforced the need in her tasting and nibbling and sucking, which matched the fierce hunger gripping his body tight. By the time they pulled apart to suck in desperately needed oxygen, his ears were ringing.

  He set his hands on either side of her on the island and leaned in to brush his lips up her throat, thrilling at the feel of her body trembling under his lips. “You know payback’s a bitch, right?”

  Lifting her head, she held his gaze prisoner with her own deep brown one. “God, I hope so.”

  Her smile was earnest and the hottest thing he’d ever seen. His heart squeezed. She was unlike any woman he’d ever known. Strong, with a vulnerable edge. Hot, with a sweet nature. And she’d been hurt. She was a survivor, and Cord had promised himself to keep his hands off her because she’d been through shit and deserved better than a guy who was emotionally challenged and held himself back. But he gave in last week—nearly twice—and now, once again, he was unable to resist her pull. He was also beginning to realize he wasn’t any of those negative things in her arms, and she was more than happy with what he offered. She didn’t want forever. She wanted right now. Wanted to be taken out of herself and transported by unbearable pleasure.

  Well, hell. He could deliver that.

  Her long, supple legs were wrapped around him, those killer boots locked across his ass, and she used them to pull him in close as she rocked against him when they were kissing. This afforded him a view that had his heart rocking in his chest. Her matching lace panties were pulled tight against her sweetness, showcasing every delectable fold.

  “Damn, you’re a vision.” He traced the lace with the pad of his finger, and satisfaction warmed his blood when she jumped and gripped his upper arms. So he did it again, brushing the edge of her panties, finding them wet.

  She moaned his name and rocked closer.

  “Lift up,” he urged, and tugged her panties off, leaving her naked, except for her boots, and trembling. His two favorite things.

  She let out a shaky breath. Running his hands up her legs, he leaned in and captured her mouth for a heated kiss, brushing his tongue to hers, loving how she moaned in his mouth and pressed closer. She was soft and warm and trusting in his arms, and it filled him with an unexpected joy like he’d never known. He released her mouth and lowered his head to place open-mouthed kisses across the full curve of a breast.

  She gripped him tight and then clutched at his arms, her fingers sinking into the muscle of his bicep. He skimmed his thumb across her nipple, and she whispered his name.

  “Tell me,” he said, skimming his other hand up her inner thigh.

  “That. Yes.”

  “What?”

  “More of that, Cord. Now. Please.”

  He smiled. “So demanding.”

  She choked out a laugh and punched his arm, then sucked in a breath when his other thumb brushed her center. Then he dropped to his knees, because he wanted to taste her and make her cry out his name.

  His heart stopped at his eye-level view of heaven. Caressing her legs, he nudged them wider, and his insides fisted with a fierce, almost painful need. Turning his head, he kissed one inner thigh and then the other, touching his tongue lightly on her skin until she moaned and shoved her fingers in his hair again.

  “So gorgeous,” he whispered against her heated flesh, and ran his hands to her hips to tug her to the edge of the counter where he met her sweetness with his tongue.

  “Cord.” She gasped and held his head, making the sexiest little needy sounds that throbbed all the way to his tip.

  Over and over, he explored and learned what she liked and what she loved, and what she really, really loved. Before long, Haley released his hair to grip the counter again and arch into him, panting and moaning, her head thrown back, sweet curves bouncing in her wild abandon, a goddess worthy of worship. And he did, paying her homage, taking her right over the edge she so enthusiastically sought. He loved that she trusted him and gave him everything, holding nothing back when she came with a throaty moan and his name on her lips.

  He nearly burst from the raw need and sheer joy—not just from her—but in him as well.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Haley returned to planet Earth, she opened her eyes to find Cord standing in front of her, shedding his clothes.

  Damn.

  She’d barely gotten her breath, was quivering with aftershocks, and her body was already responding to his magnificent naked form. When the last of his clothes met hers on the floor, she reached behind her for the box of condoms and removed a packet, all while her gaze stayed on him.

  He drew near, gloriously naked and proud, and as he held her gaze, she lifted the packed to her mouth and ripped it open with her teeth.

  With a muffled curse mixed with a growl, he took the condom from her hand and rolled it on before she could protest, having wanted the do the honors.

  “I’d never last if you touched me,” he admitted, as if reading her mind. His voice was as strained as the condom. Then he was between her legs, his body on fire and hard, and because the island was a little too high for comfort, he scooped her up.

  The feel of his muscles moving beneath her as he walked with her arms around his neck, her breasts rubbing his chest, legs wrapped around his hips, it was almost enough to set her off.


  She whispered it in his ear before biting his shoulder.

  With a low oath, Cord halted in the middle of the hall and pressed her back against the wall before aligning his tip with her center, and then, eyes on her, he pushed inside in one sure thrust.

  Haley cried out, vaguely aware he’d muttered her name as well, the exquisite feel of him filling her too incredible to keep quiet.

  “Always so damn good,” he uttered against her mouth, letting out the sexiest male groan of approval she’d ever heard when he pulled nearly all the way out and pushed back in. “So damn good.” Desire was thick in his gravelly voice, and his words were nearly as arousing as his thrusts.

  Everything he did was just right. His touches, kisses, caresses, thrusts, all of it propelled her forward toward the edge. She wondered briefly how he could have her there again so soon, but it didn’t matter. Nothing did but the fact she wasn’t the only one in this crazy, hot grip of passion.

  He drove into her over and over, his smoldering gaze now glued to hers, his eyes glittering like prized emeralds. She got the impression he liked the sound of his name on her lips.

  Then he shifted her leg higher on his hip, changing the angle, pushing deeper, making her gasp. She went a little wild then, bucking, arching into him, feeling him everywhere.

  He held her on the edge, and she was completely lost in him, lost in the exquisite, hot pleasure he showered on her. And as he slid a hand between them, brushing his thumb over her center, he proceeded to take her right out of herself with shocking precision. As a million sensations wracked her body in another mind-blowing orgasm, he gripped her hips and pushed into her hard, shuddering as he followed her over that blissful edge.

  …

  Cord awoke in the middle of the night, heart pounding in his chest as the usual Drew nightmare that forced him awake slowly faded into the darkness of the room. His room.

  At Haley’s ranch.

  Shit. Immediately aware of the soft, warm, naked body curved around him, he was grateful this dream hadn’t ended up with him sitting bolt upright in bed. But considering her dead husband was the subject, he needed air.

  Quiet and careful, he extracted himself out from under Haley, halting at the side of the bed when she murmured a protest in her sleep.

  When she appeared to settle down, he slipped out of the room and headed toward the kitchen for water. Nightmares always parched his throat. He hadn’t had any in a while. They usually only happened now when they were triggered, and sleeping with his dead buddy’s widow was a definite trigger. His gut tightened as he pushed back the guilt. If he had to guess, the only reason he hadn’t had one the first night they spent together was because she’d worn him out and he’d been too tired to even think straight.

  Tonight, though, he’d been a pansy-ass lightweight, falling asleep after their second round. Images flashed through his mind of their incredible off-the-wall sex, then their long, erotic-as-hell shower afterward, and how painstakingly slow they dried each other off before burning up the sheets in his bed.

  His legs were still finding their strength.

  Attempting to shake off the adrenaline—and guilt—he walked silently through the kitchen and opened the fridge. With a muffled oath, he swiped a bottle of water from the top shelf and sucked it down in under ten seconds.

  Drew had died a day after Cord had found the guy cheating on Haley. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t owe the unfaithful man his loyalty anymore. It wasn’t a crime if he and Haley enjoyed a few hours in each other’s arms. They deserved the enjoyment. No reason to feel guilty.

  And yet, he did.

  But that wasn’t the whole reason why, a voice whispered in his head, and he pushed that to the back recesses of his mind, too.

  The empty bottle he tossed in the recycling bin landed with a soft thud.

  “You okay?” Haley asked sleepily behind him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cord turned and noted how the soft glow from the light above the sink cast shadows over her breathtaking silhouette. Standing there in his shirt and nothing else, the resilient, sexy woman interfered with his breathing. And the thing was she had no idea how much she affected him.

  When he didn’t answer, she frowned and stepped closer. “Cord?” Her gaze raked over him and returned to meet his with a spark of heat. “You felt like taking a midnight stroll…naked?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Just thirsty. I’m fine now.”

  Her eyes continued to regard him closely. Christ. He resisted the urge to shift his feet. Now he knew what the others went through at the opposite end of his gaze. She raised a brow.

  “It’s true.” He pointed to her garbage. “See for yourself.”

  Still holding his gaze, she stepped to his side before looking down into the bin. “Do you need something stronger?”

  “No. Thanks.” He hadn’t expected that question.

  She reached out and set a hand on his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “About what? My water?”

  She stroked his bicep. “No. Your nightmare. Do you have them often?”

  He stilled, and his heart lunged into his gut before returning to pound the hell out of his chest. Her gaze was sure and strong and full of understanding. Ah hell. She thought he was suffering from a flashback. “Not unless they’re triggered.”

  Dawning entered her gaze and she released him to step away. And because he didn’t like the look of reproach dimming her eyes, he reached out to grasp her arm.

  “Don’t,” he said quietly.

  “Don’t what? Let my dead husband come between us?” She met his gaze and shrugged. “Looks like he already did.”

  “No,” he said, still holding her arm. “You’re no longer married to Drew. He’s dead.”

  “I know that.” She cocked her head. “I just wasn’t sure you did.”

  “I wouldn’t have touched you if I hadn’t, and I’m pretty sure the same goes for you.”

  She nodded, and he felt her body relax under his hand.

  “My nightmare had nothing to do with you.” It was all him and his guilt, so in essence, it wasn’t a lie.

  Tell her the truth, his mind insisted. It was the perfect lead in, but he didn’t want to mess with her head or ruin her fond memories of her time with Drew. What good would telling her about her husband’s affair do her now? None.

  Christ. This guilt fucking sucked. He was losing his mind. Possibly his heart, too.

  “Okay.” She shifted closer and set her palm on his chest. “Let’s go back to bed.” Her fingers slowly trailed down his torso to stroke his abs and venture south.

  This battle of guilt versus desire raged inside him, with his desire for Haley winning out. It was too strong. And she was waiting for his reply. He answered by scooping her up and capturing her laughter with his mouth.

  Bed. The best way to rid his body of the adrenaline coursing through his veins…and the need he harbored for the woman that he couldn’t seem to quench.

  …

  None of the Rangers had returned unharmed from the op that had taken Drew’s life. It had been evident to Haley during that very first visit after his death two years ago, and even more evident last night.

  Finding Cord standing in her kitchen stark naked in the middle of the night with a haunted look in his eyes was enough proof something was eating him up.

  Guilt.

  God, she hoped it wasn’t about Drew, but she suspected her late husband was part of it. If so, there wasn’t anything she could do. Cord would never let her. In fact, sleeping with her was probably part of that guilt.

  And that sucked. Neither of them owed her late husband anything, but she wasn’t about to tell Cord about Drew’s infidelity. She didn’t want to ruin the memories he had of his buddy, to shatter the respect he and the other Rangers harbored for a man they loved and served with. It was in the past. It didn’t matter now.

  She hated being helpless. That was exactly how she’d felt staring
into his troubled gaze last night. Thankfully, she’d been able to lure him back to bed. A rush of heat flooded her body and put a smile on her lips. The deliciously attentive man had been too occupied to let anything else invade his thoughts but taking care of her. And he’d taken care of her all night long. So well, in fact, she’d slept in. Something she hadn’t done in years.

  Cord had left her with a smile on her face and no energy in her naked body. He’d pulled the covers up and kissed her temple, urging her to go back to sleep. Too deliciously exhausted from their round three at dawn, she did as he suggested and rolled over for a few extra minutes of shut eye. Which turned into two whole hours and the reason she was running late that morning.

  The sound of a vehicle pulling up sent her into action. Great, his sister was here already. Haley quickly threw on clothes and laced up her boots, then rushed into the hall, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

  “Hi, Beth. Come on in,” she greeted the smiling woman, taken aback once again at how much the woman’s eyes were like Cord’s, except perpetually happy.

  A pang rippled through her chest. She could remember, years ago, how his eyes weren’t so shadowed. Closed up. Dim.

  What she wouldn’t give to see that pleased expression on his face more often. It surfaced once in a while and had been present the other day at the high school where he kicked her butt at the games. His body had been relaxed and a smile remained on his face most of the day. Telling him about Drew would put the darkness back in his eyes. Their fun day had proved the old Cord was still in there. She wanted him to be that way all the time. She wanted that for him so bad, Haley vowed to make that her mission. By the time the man returned to At-Ease, he was going to be at ease with himself. Smile more. Laugh more. Joke more. Lighten the hell up.

  “I was just about to put some coffee on,” she said, leading the woman into the kitchen.

  “Perfect. That’ll go great with these.” Beth set a bag on the island. “Vince sent them.”

  Haley stilled. “Cannoli?” It couldn’t be. She glanced inside the bag and smiled. “Oh my God. I can’t believe he remembered. It’s my favorite.” Capicola made the best cannoli she’d ever tasted. It was melt-in-your-mouth goodness she hadn’t had in years.