Taking Catie: The Temptation Saga: Book Three

by Hardt, Helen;

  “No, Chad.”

  “No?”

  “I mean, I loved it. I truly did. But I need you inside me. I’ve wanted you there for so long.”

  He stood up, and Catie focused on his hands as they unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans.

  For a split second, “boxers or briefs” flew through her mind, and she couldn’t help giggling.

  “Laughing, sugar?” He smiled. “You’ll give me a complex.”

  His jeans hit the floor, and she had an answer. Boxer briefs. Forest-green cotton boxer briefs that molded to the most shapely rear end and most muscular thighs she’d ever seen.

  But those male model goodies paled in comparison to the bulge. A small spot of wetness appeared where the head of his cock peeked out.

  She sucked in her breath and widened her eyes as he slowly peeled the underwear from his ripped body.

  His erection sprang from a thick bush of black hair. God Almighty, he was huge. Catie wasn’t experienced by a long shot, but she’d seen a few in her day. This one was monstrous. In a good way. He reached into his nightstand drawer, pulled out a condom, and quickly sheathed his cock.

  “I take it I haven’t disappointed you.”

  “You could never disappoint me,” she said, and meant it.

  He lowered himself next to her on the bed and teased her nipples with his lips. “I hope you won’t regret this, sugar, because no matter what happens, I can tell you for damn sure that I won’t. You are a treasure. A true treasure.”

  He kissed her mouth then. A firm, possessive kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him on top of her.

  She gasped when he plunged into her. It hurt. More than she’d expected. But then he was unusually large.

  “Catie?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “But you said—”

  “You wouldn’t have made love to me otherwise.” She shut her eyes, wincing at what felt like her flesh tearing. “I’m fine. Really. Just…go ahead.”

  “Aw damn.” He surged forward until he was embedded deep inside her, and then he stilled. “I need to give you a minute to adjust, okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “You let me know when I can move.”

  “I’m fine, Chad. You can move. I… I want this. I wanted it to be you.”

  “I can’t take your virginity, Catie.”

  “You already have.”

  “Damn. Goddamn it.”

  She opened her eyes. Chad’s teeth were clenched, his facial muscles taut. Sweat trickled from his brow. Was he in as much pain as she was?

  “I want this, Chad.”

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

  “I know. I’m fine. I’m ready. The pain is gone. I just feel…full.”

  That seemed to relax him, and he chuckled. “You are full, baby, and God but you feel good.”

  Catie breathed deeply and delighted in his hard body covering hers, his chest hair tickling her tender nipples. “Love me. Please, Chad. I want this to be good for you.”

  “Oh, it will be.” He pulled out and thrust back into her. “I’ll make it good for you, too.”

  “It’s already good for me. Just because it’s you.”

  He thrust again, and the friction of him moving in her became less of a burn and more of a sweet sting. A sting that sent tiny ripples of bliss coursing through her.

  “Damn, sugar, you’re so tight.”

  He surged again, and again, and once more still, until Catie closed her eyes and felt the tingles creeping along her skin again. “Chad,” she cried. “Chad, that’s it. Chad!”

  Swirling rainbows enveloped her as Chad continued to plunge into her. She heard herself screaming, whispering, and screaming again. His mouth covered hers and he kissed her, his tongue thrusting in tandem with his cock. Her body flew into spasms, and as one orgasm ended another began, and then again, and again.

  Finally, as the last one subsided, Chad grunted and pushed deep into her, his body tensing atop hers. “Catie. Sweet Catie.”

  He rolled over onto his side and pushed a stray hair out of her eyes. “You should have told me.”

  “You already thought I was a little kid.”

  “Being a virgin’s nothing to be ashamed of, sugar. It’s sweet, actually. None of those randy Frenchmen tried anything with you?”

  “Oh, they tried.”

  He smiled and then left the bed. He pulled off his condom and threw it toward the wastebasket next to his night table. “I’ll be right back.”

  He returned with a warm cloth, and with exquisite care, he cleaned her.

  “Did I bleed?”

  “Only a little. Nothing to worry about.”

  The soft, warm cloth soothed her sore tissues.

  “Gosh, you sure are pretty down here, Catie. All pink and swollen. All I can think about is making love to you again.”

  She smiled. “Go ahead.”

  “You need to heal, sugar. It’ll be a few days until we can do this again. It might not be such a good idea, anyway.”

  “Why on earth not? I told you already you don’t have to marry me.”

  “Yeah, well…” Chad stood up, threw the rag in his hamper by the foot of the bed, and lay back down next to her. “You may change your mind about that.”

  “Why would I?”

  “Because a girl like you—” He chuckled at her pout. “A classy woman like you, I mean, deserves better than one night of passion.”

  “Okay, I’ll take two nights of passion.”

  “Sugar—”

  “I’ll take as many nights of passion as you’re willing to give me. I’ve never asked you for more.”

  “No, you haven’t.”

  “I won’t even ask for special treatment in the rodeo queen competition.” She winked.

  “Heck. You still on that kick?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know, sugar. It might be too late to enter."

  “Dallas said he’d get me in.” She yawned. “And I’m gonna win, too.”

  He chuckled and ran his fingers over her cheek. “You’re tired as a mule in a horse race, sugar. Probably still jet-lagging. Go to sleep, okay? I’ll take you home in the morning.”

  Catie nodded, and snuggled up to Chad’s hard body.

  A few hours later, she awoke to Chad’s arm slung across her waist.

  Home. She had to get home. Before dawn would be the best, though she was twenty-one, and she sure shouldn’t have to answer to her parents about where she’d been.

  She could borrow one of Chad’s horses and be home before sunup.

  As delicately as she could, she eased Chad’s arm away from her.

  He tightened his hold on her in response.

  “Mmm. Catie.” His voice was husky and sleep filled. His eyes didn’t open.

  “Chad?”

  No response.

  Yeah, he was asleep.

  She attempted to nudge his arm away again.

  “Mmm. Stay with me,” he murmured. “I’ve waited so long for you.” He let out a soft snore.

  He was asleep. Dreaming, no doubt. Catie’s pulse raced anyway, and warm joy surged through her.

  I’ve waited so long for you.

  Was he thinking of her? Dreaming of her?

  She turned her head and kissed the hard muscles of his upper arm that held her bound.

  She’d gladly stay.

  Forever, if he’d have her.

  Chapter Seven

  Catie awoke, and for a moment, didn’t know where she was. The soreness between her legs jogged her memory. Chad had taken her virginity last night.

  Chad.

  She jerked up and looked around the room. He was gone. Well, he couldn’t have gone far. Catie stretched and relished the warmth from the sun’s summer rays entering the bay window in Chad’s bedroom. She looked around. Hadn’t bothered to last night.

  This was Chad’s room all right. Shades of hunter green and mahogany veiled h
is walnut furniture. The beautiful bedstead was ornately carved. Not something she thought Chad would choose. It looked almost antique. She made a mental note to ask him about it. She got up and walked around, still stark naked. On his dresser rested several trophies from rodeo events. She’d known Chad for years, though, and this couldn’t be the extent of his trophies. No doubt he had a whole room full of them somewhere in this giant house.

  His closet was open, and she peeked in. The size of a small office, it was filled with mostly jeans and western shirts. She chuckled aloud at the thirty-two pairs of cowboy boots she counted. Who said only women had a thing for shoes? Truth to tell, boots and shoes combined, Catie’s collection didn’t equal near thirty-two. She never was a clotheshorse like her sister, Angie. Give her a pair of worn in boots and jeans, a comfy cotton shirt, and she was set.

  She padded into Chad’s private bathroom, took care of necessities, and looked in the mirror.

  What a sight.

  Hair snarled from the night ride, raccoon eyes from the mascara she’d donned for the party.

  Yuck. She rubbed at her eyes. No more mascara. Ever. Even for that damn rodeo queen contest. There was a reason she never wore the stuff. She’d just forgotten for a few brainless moments.

  And her cheeks and neck and breasts, all ruddy from Chad’s whisker burn. Her nipples were dark and tender. She cupped her breasts and held them up. They looked, and felt, well loved.

  She let out a quick breath. She needed a shower. A long, slow, hot shower to soothe her muscles and the tender spot between her legs. She’d ridden a little while she’d been abroad, but not nearly enough to stay in shape. Two rides on Ladybird yesterday had turned her thighs into throbbing jelly. Her shoulders ached too, and her neck. She shook her head. She should have known better, but she’d missed this life.

  And then the ride Chad had taken her on—more muscles she’d never used before. Some were the same she’d used with Ladybird. Others, well, she hadn’t known she had so many muscles.

  She opened the door to the oversize shower and turned on the water. When it was good and hot, she stepped in. The water pelted her aching muscles, soothing them. She chose a bottle of shampoo—Mane ‘n Tail? Trust Chad McCray to use horse shampoo—and squeezed some into her palm. As she massaged it into her scalp, she closed her eyes and inhaled the moist steam from the shower, clearing the dust from the night ride out of her nose. When her hair was thoroughly washed, she leaned back into the stream of water and let the shower rinse the lather away.

  “Now that’s about the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.”

  She opened her eyes and faced Chad, his gaze raking over her. She hadn’t heard him open the shower door.

  “Shut the door, Chad. You’ll get the floor all wet.”

  “I have a maid, sugar.”

  “Go away, then. I need to wash.”

  “Not the right thing to say, sugar.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “The right thing to say is, ‘won’t you join me, Chad?’”

  “You want to take a shower with me?”

  “More than I want my next meal, I think.” He eyed her up and down. “I do believe I’m envious of those droplets of water meandering over your curves like that.”

  She giggled. “Well, you can’t come in here like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “With your clothes on, silly.”

  He chuckled. “I can take care of that quicker than a licorice whip.”

  “Licorice whip?”

  Before she could give his saying another thought, his clothes were in a heap by the bathtub and he was in the shower with her, his body pressing to hers.

  “Damn, what you do to me,” he murmured, licking her earlobe.

  His arousal grew against her stomach. She smiled to herself. He wanted her again. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around her hips, clamping her mouth to his.

  The kiss was as hungry as it had been last night. A full contact, wet-tongued, body-melting kiss. Catie couldn’t get enough.

  One of Chad’s hands fumbled with the shower knob, and the water ceased to flow. He stepped out, still holding her, and dragged her to the bed.

  “Chad? A towel?”

  “Can’t wait.”

  He fumbled in his nightstand and pulled out another condom.

  “I thought you said we had to wait.”

  “Yeah, we should. But I can’t. I don’t seem to have any self-control when it comes to you, sugar.” He looked her in the eye. “I can if you need me to. If you don’t want this, I can go right back in that bathroom and take care of the problem myself.”

  “I—”

  “It’s okay, sugar.”

  “I… I want to do it again, Chad. I’m fine, really.”

  He touched between her legs and dipped one finger into her opening. She shivered.

  “You’re wet enough. Ready enough. You sure? Because I’ve gotta tell you, I want you so badly right now I can’t think straight.”

  “Yes, it’s okay. I want you.”

  He turned her around and pushed her onto the bed, so she was lying on her stomach. She heard the rip of the condom package, and then he was pulling her hips forward. The heat of his tongue laved her opening and his fingers slipped in. “That okay?”

  She sighed. “God, yes. More than okay.”

  “Sugar, my God…” The tip of his erection nudged her flesh.

  “Please…”

  He plunged into her.

  She cried out, but not from pain. From the pure unadulterated sweetness of the joining.

  He stilled, and his body tensed behind her. He was worried. Worried that he’d hurt her again.

  “It didn’t hurt, Chad,” she said. “It felt good. That’s why I”—embarrassment flooded through her—“made that noise.”

  “Sweet heaven,” he said, as he pulled out and thrust into her again.

  Her hips moved backward, meeting him thrust for thrust.

  “Catie, you’re so beautiful.” Chad’s voice was rough, primal. “I wish you could see this, how I come into you. It’s beautiful. Just beautiful.”

  She didn’t need to see it. The beauty of the act melted her heart, opened her soul. Joining with him was a dream come true. Her skin began to tingle. “Chad—”

  He reached under her and rubbed her swollen bud. “Yeah, sugar, yeah. Let yourself go. It’s okay. Come. Come for me.”

  At the command of his words, she shattered as her climax exploded, her body soaring into euphoria.

  “That’s it. Make it feel good. So good.” He continued to thrust into her. “Ah, I can feel you coming, baby. Coming all around me. So tight.” He thrust hard one more time, so hard he pushed her down against the softness of the bed, his body covering hers. He kissed the back of her neck, her ear. “So good, sugar. Never this good with anyone else. Never.”

  He released her, lay down next to her, and pulled her into his embrace. Their slick bodies—wet from the shower, or from the perspiration from such joyful lovemaking?—melted together.

  “What the hell have you done to me, Catie Bay?”

  “I-I…” A tear trickled down her cheek. A tear for the sheer beauty of the experience they had just shared. Might share again. But wouldn’t share forever.

  “Hush. S’okay.” He kissed her forehead. “Just let me hold you.”

  Catie breathed in the spicy masculine scent of Chad. She remembered the words he had spoken to her in the black of night, under the veil of sleep.

  I’ve waited so long for you.

  In a few moments, she drifted into slumber.

  * * *

  She awoke again when Chad’s cell phone rang.

  He disentangled himself from her and answered it. “Yeah?” Pause. “Okay, give me a few minutes.”

  He hung up and flung the phone onto his dresser. “Sugar, I need to go. They need me at one of the barns. A cow’s gone into labor. Could you do me a favor and call Annie? Tell her to m
eet me at the south barn? She’s number five on my speed dial.” He pulled on a pair of jeans—no boxer briefs—and a clean pair of socks. Then he walked into the bathroom—to get his boots, she presumed.

  Course he could have gotten one of the thirty-two pairs out of his closet. Catie smiled. Who’d have thought Chad McCray would have a thing for boots? Every fact she learned about him was a gift, a present she was unwrapping layer by layer. She had discovered some wonderful layers last night.

  She hummed a happy tune under her breath.

  As expected, he came out, boots on, and headed to the closet where he donned a denim shirt.

  “Please, Catie?”

  She jerked slightly. “What?”

  “Call Annie? South barn?”

  “Oh, yeah. Of course.” She had been listening. Hadn’t she?

  “Never mind,” he said, picking up his cell. “I need my phone with me. I’ll call her on the way over. What I should do anyway. Don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “I don’t mind helping.”

  “I know, but I do this stuff by myself all the time.” He grabbed his cell from the dresser and rushed toward the door. “Don’t wait around. I’ll likely be a while. I… Hell, I’ll see you later, I guess.”

  And he was gone.

  Nothing about when they might meet again. Nothing about hey, it was great. When can I see you? Let’s go out sometime. How about a movie?

  Nothing about the magic they had just shared.

  And it had been magical. At least it had for her.

  Catie’s heart fell. Well, what had she expected? He’d made his position clear.

  She decided to take another shower since the first one had been interrupted. Her hair was tangled again, this time wet, so she went to the bathroom and borrowed a brush she found on the counter. After combing out her snarls, she started the shower and entered, letting the hot water ease her tired body.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for her tired heart.

  For that’s what it was. Tired. Damn tired of loving Chad McCray.

  After a fifteen minute soak under the soothing showerhead, Catie dried off and found her clothes. She put on her jeans and bra, but had a quick thought. Chad wouldn’t be back for a while yet, and she had a strange urge to put on one of his shirts. Just to feel it next to her skin, as if she really belonged to him, lived in this room with him. Was his woman.