“Oh, so what?” Kathie snapped. “Why do you have such a hard time with casual sex? I’ve never really understood that. You’ve made out with tons of guys. We all have.”
“Yeah, but kissing is way different from sex.” Callie leaned against the railing, thinking of Wes. “I like sex as much as the next person, but for me, it’s connected to my heart. You guys know that. It shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
They walked across the grass toward the back of the lodge in search of the hot tub.
“It’s not a surprise,” Kathie explained. “It’s just that you keep yourself so carefully protected, Cal. Don’t you want to cut loose and just see what it’s like?”
Callie stopped cold. She stood in front of her friends with her hands on her hips. “Why did you bring me here? To find a guy or what?”
“No. Of course not,” Bonnie replied. “We brought you to show you that there is more to life than the library and your apartment. So you could find other things you liked to do and maybe expand outside your little nest.”
“Right, and I totally appreciate that. That’s why I’ll stay, but as much as I want to let myself cut loose, grab Wes by the collar of his shirt, and throw him to the ground…” Yeah, that’s exactly what she wanted to do.
“Um, Cal…” Christine said.
“No, let me finish, because you’re right. I do want to cut loose. I want to tear every shred of his clothing off—with my teeth—and I want to lick every inch of his glorious body.” She closed her eyes. “Mm. You know that would be amazing.”
“Callie!” Kathie said.
Callie opened her eyes, facing the three of them, who were wide-eyed. Of course they were. She’d never said anything remotely close to this with such vehemence. She was the good girl, the careful girl, the librarian. She held her palms up to shut them up as weeks of pent-up sexual frustration tumbled forth.
“No. You started this, so let me finish. As much as I want to ride that man like the stallion he is, regardless of how many other women have been there before me, or might be there after me—which makes me sick to my stomach, by the way—I just can’t. My heart has a direct line to my…you know what…and where one goes the other follows, and you know he’s not like that. Cripes, he’s probably slept with every woman who’s ever come to this place, with the exception of us, so—”
Bonnie ran up and covered Callie’s mouth with her hand. “Okay, Cal,” she said through gritted teeth. “Enough.”
The seriousness of Bonnie’s voice shut Callie up long enough for her to really read the look in her friends’ eyes as they stared over her shoulder. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and Bonnie’s hand securely over her mouth, she turned.
Wes stood before her in snug-fitting jeans and an open button-down shirt with a T-shirt beneath, looking utterly handsome and excruciatingly hurt. He drew his shoulders back, cleared his throat, and spoke in a hoarse tone. “I was just coming to see if you wanted to uh…” He ran his hand down his face and looked away. “You know what? Never mind.”
Bonnie’s hand dropped from Callie’s mouth.
“Fuck,” Kathie whispered.
“Oh my God.” Callie watched him stalk away. “Oh my God.” No. No. No. Her legs trembled. “You guys. Shit. Oh my God.”
Bonnie put her arm around Callie and she shrugged her off. “I’m an idiot.”
“No,” Kathie said. “We’re idiots. I’m an idiot for pushing you to do something you weren’t comfortable doing and then not stopping you before he heard what you were saying.”
“I have to go apologize.”
“Maybe you should give him a little time,” Christine suggested.
Or maybe I should just go home. No. She couldn’t just leave things like that. “I’ll be back.” With her heart in her throat, she sprinted after Wes.
FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. Every determined step seared Callie’s words into Wes’s head. What was he thinking? He never led with his heart. Ever. But when they were up on that mountain on the trail ride, he’d asked her to stay. He’d desperately wanted her to stay, and that was one hundred percent driven by his heart, which blew him away and confused the hell out of him. She wants to ride me like a stallion? The sexual words coming from Callie seemed so out of place that he had trouble connecting them to her. The thought made his body white-hot. When she’d said, But I can’t, he realized he’d been holding his breath. If she were anyone else, he wouldn’t care if she thought he’d slept with every girl on the planet. Why did he care?
Fuck if he knew why, but he did care. A lot. Her words sliced through him like a knife as he headed into the barn and climbed on the back of the first horse he saw. He didn’t even know where he was headed as he rode out of the barn, determined to get the hell away from everyone.
Callie stood just outside the barn doors wearing nothing but her bikini and the saddest frown he’d ever seen. One arm hung loosely by her side, as if all the oomph she’d possessed only moments before had disappeared. In her other hand, she clutched a towel. Sweets stood beside her with a matching goddamn frown. Wes’s chest constricted. He wanted to wrap his arms around her or shake her. He wasn’t sure which.
She didn’t say a word, just looked up at him with sad brown eyes that made his heart ache. He watched her walk silently to his side, slip the towel around her neck, and reach her arms up.
Well, hell. Wrapping his arms around her won out over shaking her—and he knew it always would.
He lifted her easily onto the horse in front of him and felt her trembling. My heart has a direct line to my…you know what. His heart squeezed a little more. He draped the towel over her legs, then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She gripped his forearm, and he wondered if her eyes were open or closed. Somehow, she’d lassoed his heart and roped him in. She’d said all those passionate things about him, and for a guy who could handle the toughest of situations, he was a jumble of nerves. His chest tightened again, and as unfamiliar as the sensation was, he could pinpoint the cause this time. She’d opened his heart, and it had been closed for so damn long that it ached.
Sweets ran back and forth beside the horse, and with one flick of Wes’s heels, they rode out of the pasture and toward the setting sun.
Wes tried not to think as they rode through the meadow. He didn’t try to figure out a way to fix whatever was going on between them. He let the horse lead them, and as the sun settled behind the mountains and the horse slowed his pace, he breathed Callie in. When he’d seen the muscles in her back tighten and heard unbelievable passion and conviction in her voice, her words had reached into his gut and fisted tight. By the time he’d realized she was talking about him, his nerves had tangled into knots and he could barely think straight.
He needed to be closer to her, to hold her, talk to her, and figure out what the hell was going on. He brought the horse to a halt and slid from its back. He reached up for Callie, and though she didn’t meet his gaze, she leaned forward and he lifted her off the horse. He couldn’t have taken his hands from her bare waist if she’d begged him to. It was all he could do to look into her beautiful, sad, trusting eyes.
Why the hell did she still look like she trusted him? He didn’t deserve to be trusted. Part of what she’d said was true.
He grabbed the towel, then took her hand and walked up the hill with Sweets trotting happily by their side. Wes laid the towel on the ground; then he took off the button-down shirt he wore over his T-shirt and draped it around her shoulders. It hung to her knees, and that endeared her to him even more. As strong as she’d tried to be all afternoon, she was still fragile. He was beginning to wonder if he had a bit of fragility in him as well because he felt as if he’d cracked wide open when she’d said she thought he probably slept with all the guests. And until he set that record straight and saw that she truly believed it, he feared pieces of himself would fall through that crack and he might never be whole again.
He sat with his feet flat on either side of the towel, knees up
, and drew Callie down between them. He pulled her close again, to the spot that was beginning to feel like it belonged to her, and folded her into his arms. He worried she might push him away, and when she sank against him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Sweets whimpered.
“Lay down, Sweets.” His voice was raspy, emotionally spent.
Sweets stretched her long legs before her, and with a noisy yawn, she rested her head between her paws.
Wes knew how to flirt, and he knew how to handle the most treacherous situations Mother Nature had to offer. He could hunt and fish with the best of them, but this—these unfamiliar, protective urges that were bubbling up inside of him toward Callie—this was new and unfamiliar territory. He didn’t even know where to begin.
“Callie,” Wes said at the same time Callie said, “Sorry.”
“I’m sorry, Callie.” He tightened his arms around her. He leaned his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes, thinking of the things he wanted to say. The emotions that swelled inside him and filled every crevice, making him feel full and scared at the same time, were so unfamiliar that as he tried to form them into words, he felt like his mouth was full of pebbles. He felt Callie’s hand on his knee and he opened his eyes. She was gazing into the distance and looked beautiful and pained.
“You don’t have to say you’re sorry. Ever.” He didn’t recognize the thin voice as his own. Callie closed her eyes, and he felt her withdrawing from the safety of his arms. He tightened his grasp. “Before you pull away, I need you to know that I haven’t slept with every guest who has come to the ranch. I haven’t slept with any of them.”
Her neck bent forward, and a flush rose on her cheeks.
He wondered if it was driven by her desire to lick every inch of his body—even the thought made him hard—or by the words that followed, he’s probably slept with every woman who’s ever come to this place—which took care of his hard-on altogether.
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” Her voice quivered. “I was just trying to convince myself to stop thinking of you and me…of us…” She turned away.
Us. She was protecting herself from her feelings for him. That was something Wes could relate to, and it was what drove him to gently shift Callie so she was sitting sideways between his legs. He didn’t want her to hide from her feelings, and he was damn sure that he didn’t want to hide from his anymore, either. He stroked her cheek, drawing her eyes to his. It took everything he had not to try to kiss the pain away. His and hers.
“I…” He swallowed hard. Talking to women had never been difficult for him, but he felt the need to be careful with Callie. He smiled at that, because after hearing what she wanted to do to him, he was having trouble seeing her as the innocent young woman he’d thought she was, and it made him wonder about that protected heart of hers and whether he was worthy of it.
“Callie, I—”
“Wait.” She silenced him with a serious tone, then pressed her palms flat against his chest, as if she might need to hold him back. “Before you say anything else, I need to know how much you heard.”
Her flash of determination almost made him lie to ease her worry. But Bradens weren’t liars. If his mother Catherine’s lessons about honesty weren’t enough, his three older brothers continuously driving it into his head were. So he took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
“I don’t know what you said before wanting to ride me like a stallion,” he began.
Her hands fisted against him, yanking his chest hair right along with them.
“But I pretty much heard everything after that.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. Her hair fell around her face, and he could tell by the way her brows drew together, relaxed, and then repeated the movements several times, that she was struggling with the urge to flee.
He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled up at her. “Feeling trapped?”
Her mouth curved up at that. “A little.”
“Want me to take you back down the mountain and pretend I never heard it?”
Callie’s eyes dropped to her hands, still clinging to him as if she could steal the strength from his body. “You’d do that?”
It was the last thing he wanted to do, but yeah, he’d do it. He shrugged.
She nodded and drew in a deep breath. “No. I don’t want you to.”
Wes stilled. Her hands tightened again. His mind was reeling with her admission about sex being tied to love, and it should have held him back, but he couldn’t stop himself from sliding his hand beneath her hair and stroking the soft hairs at the base of her neck, then pressing his lips to hers.
IN THAT INSTANT, when weeks of heady anticipation met reality, Callie forgot to breathe, and when their lips came together, his breath filled her lungs. Her body warmed and tingled all at once as his tongue hungrily swept her mouth. Lost in the most earth-shattering kiss she’d ever experienced, she was barely aware of his other arm drawing her closer. He smelled like soft leather and prairie wind. She slid her hands over the arc of his chest and wound them around his thick neck, bringing them chest to chest. With two soft kisses, his lips slid to her cheek, and he embraced her. His arms were strong and safe. Tender. So tender.
“Callie.” A soft, hot whisper against her neck stole her breath.
Sweets shoved his nose along Wes’s waist and beneath the button-down shirt Callie wore and pressed his furry face against her belly. She felt herself smile, and as much as she didn’t want to move one inch, how could she not? She pulled back with her lower lip held tightly between her teeth and looked down at Sweets with another noiseless laugh.
The look Wes gave Sweets wasn’t quite as forgiving. His eyes met Callie’s, and he pressed another kiss to her lips before dropping one hand to Sweets’s head and stroking it gently.
“Guess she’s a little jealous,” he said.
Callie let out a shaky breath. Kiss me again. Please kiss me again. She watched him stroking Sweets’s head, and she understood the puppy’s desire for more of Wes’s attention, because even after that incredible kiss, she wished he were still touching her, too.
Wes gently lifted the dog’s head from his lap, settled her beside them, then placed his hands on Callie’s cheeks and looked thoughtfully into her eyes.
“You’ll have to guide me, Cal, because all those things you said you wanted to do? I want to do them, too, and I don’t want to cross any lines you might regret.”
I want you. Kiss me. Touch me. Take that darn shirt off so I can feel you against me. She knew she hadn’t said a word. She could barely admit those things to her girlfriends—and only had because she was so darn mad at herself for being shy. But to say them now? To him? Just looking at Wes made her damp, and kissing him nearly made her—
In the next breath, he captured her mouth with his again like he’d read her thoughts. She didn’t think as she brought his big, strong hand to her breast. She moaned against his lips when he brushed his thumb over her nipple, sending a sharp titillation of need through her. Callie’s hands slid beneath his T-shirt to his hot, hard abs. Oh God. You feel so good. He drew her legs around his waist. His thighs were taut beneath hers, and as he pressed himself to her, she couldn’t ignore the pressure of his arousal against the thin, damp material of her swimsuit.
Completely lost in the sensation of Wes’s full lips as they slid to the corner of her mouth, then followed her jaw to the base of her neck, Callie exhaled and arched her neck back. The cool evening breeze brushed over the wet memory of his kisses along her bare shoulder as he slid his shirt from her arms. His hand moved down her back and cupped her rear. Tight. Her body shuddered, and she arched farther back, opening her chest to him. Thankfully, blissfully, his head came back to center, and he kissed the chilled skin above her breasts. His other hand was splayed across her upper back, sending warmth to chase the chill away. With every breath, she felt his fingers touch the tie of her bikini, and oh how she wished he’d just tug those strings free. She didn�
��t need to go all the way; at least that’s what she told herself. She could wait until she was sure what all the tangling of her nerves and swelling of her heart really meant before they went that far, but she wanted—needed—more of him. He smelled so damn good, and as he kissed her, his neck was right there, inviting, taunting, looking so gloriously delicious that it might as well have been covered in chocolate frosting. She settled her lips over the curve at the base of his neck and couldn’t help but sink her teeth into his hot, salty skin and suck it in against her tongue, earning a deep, guttural groan from deep within him. She felt his neck arch back—she couldn’t open her eyes if her life depended on it. He tasted too good, felt too warm and hard—oh so hard.
“Callie.” A breathy plea that drew her lips to his.
Finally, she felt his fingers grip the tie of her bikini top. Yes, please, yes. They were both breathing hard, so hard they had to draw away with the need for oxygen. Wes pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed as they both sucked in air. When his eyes fluttered open, they were nearly black, full of desire. How could words be so unnecessary? She lived her life by them, swore by them, devoured them, and followed them to so many magical places, and yet when she looked into the dark pools of Wes’s eyes, not a single word was needed. A silent nod and a press of her fingertips against the back of his biceps had him gently pulling the tie of her bikini top free. His hand slid down her back, and another tender tug sent the thin material to their laps. His eyes held hers as the hand on her rear sank a little lower, his fingers splayed. His fingertips brushed the damp material between her legs, and his eyes—those smoldering dark eyes that enraptured her with every glance—traveled slowly to her lips, lingering just long enough for Callie to suck in a breath before they sank lower and came to rest on her breasts. He drew his eyes back to hers.
“You’re exquisite.”
Exquisite. Not beautiful. Not pretty. Exquisite. A careful, well-chosen word that had her arching back again and drawing his mouth to her breast. She sucked in a jagged breath as his tongue washed over her nipple; then he took her breast fully into his mouth and stroked it with his hot tongue. Not fast and hard, but slowly, erotically, sending pinpricks of anticipation through her limbs. She held the back of his head. His hair was soft; the muscles in his neck bunched beneath her palm as he sucked and laved her breasts. Soft kisses drew his lips back. His teeth grazed her sensitive nipple, causing another trembling inhalation.
Fated for Love Page 8
